There’s a 1988 Italian film called Cinema Paradiso. It’s a coming-of-age movie about a boy who grows up in the movie theater loading the reels onto the projector. He falls in love with movies at a young age, and it's one of the most moving and nostalgic movies I’ve seen this year.
A lot of people say they don't go to the movie theaters anymore. They wait until it comes out on Amazon Prime, Netflix or Hulu. Some people even pirate films off third-party sites. It’s a cheap way to watch movies, which is understandable, but there is something lost when watching on a streaming service.
There are films that are meant to be seen in the largest format possible. Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk was shot using Imax cameras and shown in Imax theaters. People who saw it in its true format said it was an experience unlike any other. The sounds in the film and the way the camera moved aren't even well-suited for a DVD or Blu-ray format, which means it’s not going to look or sound well with a laptop or TV speaker.
But movies are only shown on the big screen for a certain time, and that’s why a lot of people don’t go to the movies. Going to a theater means driving to the nearest one, paying for a ticket, spending two or more hours there, then driving back home. It can be a hassle, but, the thing is, people don’t have to see every movie in a theater. See the ones you really want to see. Pick and choose. There are films that are going to provide a better moviegoing experience, like a more recent film called A Quiet Place.
The best part about going to a movie theater is sitting with a whole bunch of strangers you might not have anything in common with other than seeing the same movie. It’s a group activity. Seeing a movie is enhanced when there are people sharing the experience together.
At the end of Cinema Paradiso, the main character returns to the theater in his hometown after decades of being away. He finds the theater is about to be torn down. With the rise of TV and radio — remember, it was the ’80s — people stopped going to the movies. Theaters have survived that era, and they will most likely survive the streaming era, but that’s only going to happen if people see the films that are meant to be seen in theaters.
Georgia Davis is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What was the last movie you saw in a theater? Tell Georgia by tweeting her at @georgiadee35.
