Nice
Press!
This
op-ed by Christopher Smith appeared in the May 15th, 2004 issue
of the BANGOR DAILY NEWS—wow! The
Role of Movies in the Creative Economy
Before the creative economy became the buzz word du jour, there
were those in the Bangor area who were way ahead of the curve,
working to develop
a new vision
for the city that would include several necessary changes - a new waterfront,
new museums, new shops and restaurants, new galleries and studios, our own
festival modeled after the National Folk Festival.
Joining the party was Brewer, which began the process of jumpstarting a redesign
of its own waterfront, complete with an outdoor shopping arcade, restaurants,
parks, living facilities and more, all planned for the near future.
The idea behind these improvements has always been to create revitalized downtown
communities that would be so culturally rich, they would attract the desired
creative class-broadly defined as those who create, from artists and writers
to scientists and engineers - while also benefiting local residents, with the
ripple effect leading to a lifted economy by way of new jobs and new industries
through the creative arts.
Good enough. But what has been missing from the discussion - and what's an essential
element of a thriving cultural scene - is how a new cinema would provide a significant
economic boost to either the Bangor or Brewer downtown areas.
I'm not talking about the sort of bland cinderblock box cinema you find at
a mall, but something special - a real movie house - one whose unique design
and
décor would draw people to it as Bangor's Bijou Theater and the Bangor
Opera House once did, showcasing popular films as well as first-run independent
and foreign films.
Having a mix of those films is the key to a downtown cinema's success, setting
the theater apart from the trio of cinemas already rooted in the immediate vicinity
by showing those movies that rarely make it this far north.
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Not long ago, Bangor did have access to such films. Movie City 8, in partnership
with the River City Cinema Society, a local, nonprofit group that has been tireless
in its efforts to bring alternative films to the area, dedicated one of its screens
to dozens of independent and foreign films.
That effort proved a boon for local audiences who either couldn't or didn't
want to travel to theaters in Waterville, Bar Harbor, Belfast or Ellsworth
to see
such movies as "About Schmidt," "The Hours," "Bowling
for Columbine" and "The Pianist" - all of which won awards but
none of which would have opened locally because Boston and New York distributors
believe the Bangor area doesn't have the intellectual audience to support such
films.
Isn't that sweet? It's wrong.
For this film buff and critic - and for the hundreds of others who attended regular
screenings of these movies - it was great having them here even if the experience
of seeing them was below par. The movies were played in the smallest theater
at Movie City 8, the one with the noisy projector that increasingly tended to
break down just as the movie was getting under way.
Those glitches caused ill will - and I believe contributed to declining ticket
sales and negative word of mouth - but Movie City 8's initial commitment was
nevertheless an important step in the right direction. At last, our area saw
that there was indeed an audience hungry for the broader world as seen through
a better choice of movies. Having those films here brought together members
of the community in ways that "Hellboy" or "Mean Girls," for
instance, never did or ever could.
Some of the best regional examples of how well this sort of theater can succeed
in helping to ignite the creative and economic landscape are-to name only a few
- the Colonial in Belfast, The Grand in Ellsworth, The Alamo in Bucksport, Reel
Pizza in
Bar Harbor, and most notably, Waterville's Railroad Square Cinema.
As I write, the Square is currently showing the new Ben Stiller-Jack Black
comedy, "Envy" -
hardly an art film - along with Jim Carrey's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind" - hardly meant to be a blockbuster, though it has done well for
the theater, according to co-owner, Ken Eisen.
"
Shrek 2" and "Troy," as well as the French drama "Monsieur
Ibrahim," the well-received French romantic comedy "Bon Voyage," and
Lars Von Trier's provocative "Dogville," which stars Nicole Kidman
and Lauren Bacall, all will open soon, adding an air of diversity to a city
that refreshingly celebrates and supports the Square and the growing importance
of
its annual international film festival. You know, the one in July that brings
in hundreds of thousands of additional revenue to the city each year.
Part of the mission of the River City Cinema Society is to build its own theater
in downtown Bangor, which must be encouraged for all of the aforementioned reasons,
but also because the group clearly has the drive to succeed.
-
Last year, the society received a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation
to create a portable digital theater called Cinema to Go. With its huge screen
and cutting-edge projector, Cinema to Go travels to different locales, such
as the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor, showing movies such as "Sunset
Boulevard" and "Day for Night," followed by guest speakers leading
discussions.
Topping that, this summer the society kicks off one of its brightest ideas
- Noir Under the Stars - with classic noir movies shown outside in downtown
Bangor throughout July and August. For those who believe I should put my money
where
my mouth is, I'm co-sponsoring with Erich Kaiser one of the movies on July
23. It's the 1945 Joan Crawford classic "Mildred Pierce," a dark,
brooding film about a major battle of wills between a self-deprecating mother
and her
rotten daughter in which Crawford won her only Academy Award. No rosebushes
axed here, though there is murder, mystery and mayhem.
That Noir Under the Stars will take place in downtown Bangor - just as a good
deal of Cinema to Go has - is significant, a potential precursor of things
to come should either Bangor or Brewer see the opportunities that exist with
a new,
upscale movie house, one that would complement the wealth of exciting projects
already planned.
Indeed, if the River Cinema Society can pull off Noir Under the Stars as it
already has done with the popular Cinema to Go, imagine what it could do with
its own theater. Or what someone else could do. As Bangor and Brewer continues
to formalize
their waterfront plans, an eye should be cast to the work the society is doing,
with open minds realizing the possibilities inherent in such a project.
Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews
also appear on WLBZ 2 Bangor, WCSH 6 Portland and nationally
on E! Entertainment News Daily.
©2004
Christopher Smith. Used with permission.
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Christopher
Smith is
the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and
Fridays in Style, occasionally on E! Entertainment's E! News
Weekend, Tuesdays on NEWS CENTER at 5 and Thursdays
on NEWS CENTER at 5:30 on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6. Many of his
reviews are archived at
www.rottentomatoes.com.
He can be reached
at BDNFilm1@aol.com.
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