Frustration Files: City Cinema Sin

I have many frustrations about the film scene here in what is still America’s fifth largest city. For the second year in a row the city’s big Fourth of July tourism push is presenting a series of outdoor screenings. That part is a fine and laudable goal. I love outdoor screenings. They are a great way of building community and reclaiming open spaces that are sometimes scary after dark.

My compliant is with the quality of the screenings. See if you can spot the problem in the picture (inset, taken from the Welcome America site). The screen is a truck with two video panels on its side. The image source is not even film. It’s a DVD that was probably rented at a local Blockbuster (hopefully they at least secured the rights for public exhibition). The two screens on the truck leave a wide black seam down the middle of the frame. Fun… You know, in France there were riots over bad projection at the cinemas…. And, if the DVD/truck combo weren’t bad enough, the company operating the truck apparently thinks it better to use all of the real estate on the “screen” instead of presenting the film at the proper aspect ratio. This means that all the characters look like Ernie from Seseme Street (squat midgets with wide heads).

Even if you aren’t a film junkie like me, you are probably thinking “that sounds really unwatchable.” You would be right. This is essentially the same thing as “exhibiting” a painting by presenting a crumpled up, sliced-in-half reproduction of the original. Admittedly, the works on display here aren’t the Mona Lisas of cinema (Rocky II, Phantom of the Opera, and National Treasure are on the bill), but is it really all that hard to do this one small thing right (especially on Welcome America’s bloated budget).

Isn’t Philly supposed to be all gung-ho about the economic benefits of building a film scene here? Wouldn’t it be smart to have the biggest, most expensive annual tourism event clued-in about a basic respect for public exhibition?

Maybe someday the non-existant department of film and new media at the PMA or the ICA will host decent outdoor film events. For now, The Secret Cinema is doing its best. Tonight at dusk is their last scheduled summer screening outside at 40th and Walnut. A Laurel and Hardy film is on the bill. It’s better than nothing, right?

STANDINGS:
W L PCT GB Streak
Phila. Phanatics: 2 2 .500 - Lost 1
Phila. Frustration: 2 2 .500 - Won 1