Talking in Movie Theatres
I have always loved going to the movies. I remember as a child going to some of the old 'Paradise Theatres' in Montreal like the Imperial and the Rialto. Sitting in the grand old theatres - it was rare for there to be even two screens in the theatre but the one auditorium was replete with pre-war decorations reminiscent of the golden age of the silver screen. From a very early age I was taught to talk in hushed tones until the lights went down, but once the curtain rose you sat in silence and enjoyed the movie.
When I was fourteen I had a job as an usher at the York Theatre on Ste-Catherine Street between Guy and Mackay. I helped people to find seats if the place was packed, and if people spoke they got a warning before being asked to leave.
How things have changed.
I still love going to the movies... though the experience has changed drastically. Rather than one overwhelming theatre in a complex there are now an overwhelming number of unimpressive theatres... but that is fine because the decor is only interesting until the movie starts. The movies are probably not as good as they were, and Hollywood thinks that they are compensating by putting out more of them.
As I walked into the AMC Theatre in Oakville last night - a complex of twenty-four respectable sized screens and theatres - I counted six people selling tickets next to eight automated ticket machines, three taking the tickets at the door, and a meeting between two manager-types and ten usher-types; there were ten people selling popcorn and candy (and nachos, hotdogs, and any number of items previously unheard of in theatres). Unless it is all automated there would also be twenty-four projectionists. That is a staff of fifty-five employees before you even count that there must be others behind closed doors that I did not see.
And yet I still could not enjoy the movie in peace.
Our society has changed visibly in my lifetime. People do not have the respect that they once did, for the institutions and for their fellow patrons. This is of course not limited to movie theatres, but it's my blog.
I have gone to movies that appeal to both a younger and an older crowd, and there always seems to be a group of teenagers who forget that they are not watching in their own personal theatre. Of course this is explainer by the fact that for the past thirty years our primary movie-watching venue has changed from the theatre to the family room. Betamax to LaserDisc to VHS to DVD to BlueRay, the reality is that most of the movies we watch are in the comfort of our own home, where we can act however we like. We are no longer conditioned to sit and watch a movie quietly, because we can pause and rewind if we miss something important and besides, Hollywood's decline has seen to it that we cannot really miss that much.
We are a ME NOW society. Too many people do not care about their fellow man, it is all about ME... and the thought I have in the theatre cannot wait until later because I can say it NOW.
I am of course not primarily referring to people making comments about the movie, but they are no better than the cliques talking about where to have dinner. But last night the guy behind me said at a crucial scene: 'Oh John don't kiss her, you KNOW your girlfriend is going to walk in and catch you!' For the cheap seats, let me clarify a number of points:
- Unless your name is Roger Ebert I am really not interested in what you think about the movie;
- The guy on the screen is an actor portraying a character, and by the way does not have any decision making or editorial powers over what happens next... and by the way cares less than I do what you think of the movie;
- It's a movie! The outcome was decided a very long time ago, and the only people who hear you are people you are disturbing!
- Your date to whom you said it is embarrassed by your comment, and knows as well as you do that he is going to kiss her;
- You do not have any super-psychic powers of prediction, and if you know what he is going to do and what the results will be, everyone else in the theatre does too so cut the play-by-play!
I want to be clear that these offenses are not limited to teenagers. I have given up turning around and asking people to stop talking, but when we got up at the end of the movie the play-by-play guy behind me turned out to be about my age... so he probably learned the same manners I did and just forgot them, which is a worse offense than the teenagers who may not have been brought up the same.
I mentioned I go to a lot of movies, and recently I had the pleasure of sitting in front of a couple with a cell phone that kept ringing. I call out ringing specifically because she did not even have the courtesy (brains?) to put the phone on vibrate. As a parent I understand the concern one has when leaving your children with a babysitter, but for heaven's sake sit on the aisle and take the call outside... and if your babysitter has to call you six times during a movie maybe it is time for you to cut date night short and go home.
Remember when the worst offense in a theatre would be the couple in front of you necking? About a year ago I had the displeasure of sitting behind a couple who had that intent but the woman seemed to have difficulty finding her date's neck, and searched in the most interesting and inappropriate spots. His neck it up there ma'am, and there are enough cheap hotels and secluded spots where you can explore in private without sharing.
I will not lay the blame squarely on the patrons. Management is equally to blame because they refuse to do anything to stop it. Several weeks ago I walked out of a movie and found the theatre manager to complain. 'What do you think I can do about it?' Though I have several opinions, the bottom line is I am an not in the business, and though I do not know what you can do, I do know that you must do something. Kick them out, offer me a free raincheque, whatever... but it is not my place to tell you how to handle it.
Is the solution to stop going to movies? We have a DVD player and I certainly see a lot of movies on airplanes... but as I have stated I still love going to the movies, and am angry with those who would take that pleasure away from me.
I do not think that the majority of people are disruptive in theatres... I rather suspect that most of the patrons - the truly silent majority - agree with me. Unfortunately no silent majority has ever changed anything... and so I will continue to dread the talking, chatting, phone-call taking, making-out and making whoopie manner-less and tactless patrons who diminish the experience for the rest of us.