I've had a passionate love affair with the movies ever since I was in elementary school and learning how to read. One of the things I love most about the movie-going experience is the sense of community that can arise amongst strangers or friends and family seated together in the dark, facing a large blank screen and awaiting some kind of entertaining magic to happen. Since the early 90s, when I moved to Chelsea in New York City and lived there for there for 20 happy years, my neighborhood movie theater was the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas. In the years to come it underwent renovation and name changes. Nonetheless, it was my main place to go to see movie. Just two short blocks away from my apartment, it was located on West 23rd Street at 8th Avenue. Over the years, I spent a lot of time -- and money -- there laughing, gasping and crying in that movie house thanks to the magic and escapism on its big screens.
Today, that big and wonderful cineplex in Chelsea closes. I wish I was still back in Manhattan so I could've had one last moviegoer experience there. Even though I'm not there, I will miss that place not to mention the ticket prices when I first became a patron. Tickets were $5.00.
I'd like to share one cherished memory and, at the same time, recommend a film.
I went to the Chelsea Cinemas early one weekday afternoon to see Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in the THE PAINTED VEIL. The 2006 film story had been made previously by MGM in 1934 as a project starring Greta Garbo. Based on a classic novel by Somerset Maugham, it's the tale of a British marriage that collapses when a good doctor, not exactly a brawny athlete, discovers that his wife has been having an affair with a man who does fall into the category of brawny athlete. The husband gets his revenge via having the wife accompany him to mainland China where he will fight the cholera epidemic of the 1920s. While there, he hopes the virus that has infected their marriage will be conquered. Will the wife be redeemed?
The audience for that screening was not a large one. Just about all of us seated were middle-aged or a tad older. I wanted to see the film because it had made the end of the year "Top Ten" list from several well-known film critics. However, there was little talk about THE PAINTED VEIL and I didn't see any cast member promotional interviews on the network morning shows. When I got to the Chelsea Cinemas that day, I could see what the problem probably was. All the other cineplex screens were showing big budget action/fantasy features with caped superheroes. THE PAINTED VEIL was a more mature feature driven by dialogue versus long fight and chase sequences with special effects.
The movie started and we veteran moviegoers sat there in the dark in our individual seats. About 20-25 minutes into the film, patrons were turning to fellow patrons and enthusiastically whispering "This is really good." We strangers had become a community, thrilled at the quality of this film. So thrilled that it made us briefly communicate with each other, making us less strangers.
With its acting, its cinematography, script, musical score, costume design and stylish direction from John Curran, it reminded us of prestigious films we saw back in the day from acclaimed directors such as David Lean, Fred Zinnemann and William Wyler. Movie magic had occurred. We escaped into the story. Here's a taste of 2006's THE PAINTED VEIL.
An excellent film. That wonderful sense of community amongst a bunch of strangers seated in the dark that it sparked. What a joyful experience. That's why I love the movies. That's why I loved the Chelsea Cinemas cineplex. One more thing: Diana Rigg should've been a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for her performance as the wise, slightly world-weary nun in China. She was terrific.
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