Lakeport >> It’s the dawn of epic space dramas, giant robots and the apocalypse. Every superhero known to mankind is getting their own film or five. And the special effects have never been more impressive.
But this isn’t always a good thing, in the opinion of Michael Adams with the Soper Reese Theatre. Movies used to rely on character development and dialogue and story to capture an audience. While a number of films can still make that claim — take any of today’s Oscar contenders, for example — plenty of movies use CGI and a green screen to fill theater seats.
Which is probably why the Classic Cinema nights at the Soper Reese Theatre, which take place every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, are so popular. “They’re not about special effects. They’re about story, they’re about dialogue, they’re about character development,” said Adams. “If you didn’t have a good story and character development people didn’t want to see it.”
Classic Cinema is in its fifth season at the Soper Reese Theatre, and it’s changed quite a bit since its inception. First, the theater showed films only once a month and there were no matinees. They added an earlier 1 p.m. showing in addition to a 6 p.m. screening to accommodate seniors who weren’t comfortable or couldn’t drive after dark. At the suggestion of Carol Hays, they began showing films every fourth Tuesday as well as second Tuesday. And then they decided to open up Classic Cinema to sponsors. Now, theater staff choose one film a month, while sponsors pick the other.
It’s a relatively easy event for the theater to organize. All they have to do is turn on the lights and the heating, throw the film up on the projector and hit play. They don’t do any special seating arrangements, instead keeping the layout as is. Popcorn and candy are for sale during the 6 p.m. showing, and water and popcorn are given out during the 1 p.m. showing.
Sponsorship helps offset the costs of licensing films. For every movie they show to the public, the Soper Reese has to pay a fee, usually to movie distributor and public performance licensing agent Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. Once the fee is taken care of, theater staff purchase a DVD of that week’s film. At the end of the 6 p.m. show, the movie is raffled off to an audience member.
There’s only one requirement for Classic Cinema — films must be at least 40 years old. The most common movies selected are those by Alfred Hitchcock, and ones starring the big names of the mid-century: Bogart, Grant and Hepburn. As for attendance, Gone With the Wind and Cry Dr. Chicago have drawn in the biggest audiences. That was a surprise, considering both movies are so long that intermissions were needed.
The Soper Reese Theatre doesn’t charge admission for Classic Cinema, though they gladly accept donations at the ticket booth. This helps keep costs down, since selling tickets would require that they give a percentage of their profits to the licensing company.
But through the generosity of their patrons, some of whom donate more than the theater would charge for tickets, they’ve been able to keep the event going. In over four years, they have never put on a Classic Cinema night that lost money. That includes before sponsors even entered the picture. It’s clear that the community sees the value of the Soper Reese Theatre. “I think the whole existence of the theater is proof of that,” Adams said. “It’s been very encouraging to be a part of that.”
On Tuesday Jan. 24, the Soper Reese will screen “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The film is sponsored by John H. Tompkins Tax Consultants. Rated R with a ryb time of 1 hrs 41 minutes. The theater is located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport. 263-0577, soperreesetheatre.com.
