Why Can't Movies Be Like Books? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Sauron the White · 10-24-2007, 01:00 PM

WCW - I dearly love LAWRENCE OF ARABIA for many reasons. I remember seeing it at the theater a few weeks after it had won the AA for Best Film of the Year. In those days the big films first opened up in downtown big city theaters and it took months to get out to the burbs where my family lived. I disctinctly remember being 13 years old and going with neighborhood kids on our weekly trip to the theater. We were surprised to see a line around the theater (which also in those days was a single stand alone building with a single screen). When we finally got up to the front of the line we encountered the owner of the theater who was periodically annoncing that he was very sorry but he had to raise the price for this special movie and no childrens tickets would be sold.

The adult price - jacked up for this special movie - was $1.50.

During the film I also remember an usher came down to us and told us quite sharply to shut up of leave since lots of people had paid a lot of money to see it. So we did and enjoyed it greatly.

But that was 1963. Forty-four years is at least two generations perhaps three. For good or bad, it is a far different world with a far different movie going audience. I have my doubts about LAWRENCE going over today as an adventure film that would be described as exciting. I think it would be classified much closer to something like ENGLISH PATIENT.

10-24-2007, 01:00 PM	#30
Sauron the White Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 903	WCW - I dearly love LAWRENCE OF ARABIA for many reasons. I remember seeing it at the theater a few weeks after it had won the AA for Best Film of the Year. In those days the big films first opened up in downtown big city theaters and it took months to get out to the burbs where my family lived. I disctinctly remember being 13 years old and going with neighborhood kids on our weekly trip to the theater. We were surprised to see a line around the theater (which also in those days was a single stand alone building with a single screen). When we finally got up to the front of the line we encountered the owner of the theater who was periodically annoncing that he was very sorry but he had to raise the price for this special movie and no childrens tickets would be sold. The adult price - jacked up for this special movie - was $1.50. During the film I also remember an usher came down to us and told us quite sharply to shut up of leave since lots of people had paid a lot of money to see it. So we did and enjoyed it greatly. But that was 1963. Forty-four years is at least two generations perhaps three. For good or bad, it is a far different world with a far different movie going audience. I have my doubts about LAWRENCE going over today as an adventure film that would be described as exciting. I think it would be classified much closer to something like ENGLISH PATIENT.