i luv cinema

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • TCMFF 2019
    • TCMFF 2019: Reflections on a Favorite Film Festival
  • Tribeca 2019
    • When Your Time is Short, Go See a Short! (Tribeca 2019)
    • LINDA RONSTADT: The Sound of My Voice
  • London Film Festival 2019
    • BFI London Film Festival 2019 – My 1st Time!
    • The Aeronauts (2019) was Fun (Kinda)
    • Knives Out: A Highlight on My Cinematic Calendar
    • A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: A Review
    • Ford v Ferrari (Le Mans ’66)
  • 100 “Must-See”
  • About Me
Home Archives for On Location

June 12, 2015 By iluvcinema 2 Comments

Hometown Movie Palaces

First off, my apologies for not posting recently. The work-life balance has been a bit askew meaning that I have not had the leisure or pleasure of waxing poetic about my latest and greatest thoughts about the world of cinema.

But enough of that. I am glad to return with a bit of Friday nostalgia, inspired by:

  1. My recent screening of the 4K restoration of The Third Man (more on that in a separate post) and
  2. My participation in the free course inspired by the TCM’s Summer of Darkness, which showcases the thrilling cinematic movement/genre known as film noir.

I am taken back momentarily to how these films were exhibited to audiences of their time – movie palaces and movie theaters.

Often built by studios, whether big or small, these buildings were opulent pieces of architecture, often designed and styled in the fashion of the day, including, art deco and a generic Hollywood-defined “oriental style.”

For years growing up near Gramatan Avenue (part of the commercial district of my hometown of Mount Vernon, NY), we would frequently walk by a sad, dilapidated edifice that for my part, felt haunted by echoes of the past. I always referred to it as “the RKO Theatre.” A quick internet search, revealed a little more about the history, including the formal name, RKO Proctor Theater).

proctor interior
Proctor Theatre, interior. Mount Vernon, NY (Photo source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46)
Proctor Theatre, exterior. Mount Vernon, NY. Photo source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46
Proctor Theatre, exterior. Mount Vernon, NY. Source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46

Here is a link to a couple of additional interior shots from the same source.

Now to think about, this all makes sense to me now because right across the street there was named “Proctor’s Pharmacy,” a concern that is still in operation.

Shout out and many thanks to one of my recent favorite internet resources – Cinema Treasures – for their comprehensive database of all manner of building in the United States was/is dedicated to the exhibition of film. It was in this archive that I was not only able to find information about my abandoned, beloved neighborhood theater above, but where I also “discovered” several other theaters in Mount Vernon that were lost to time (hint: the hyperlink will tell you a little more about the theater and location; also be sure to check out user comments – very informative):

Embassy Theatre (no photo)

Biltmore Theater

biltmore
Photo source: Cinema Treasures

Loew’s Mount Vernon Theatre

Loew's Mount Vernon (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Loew’s Mount Vernon – sign visible in the upper right corner (Source: Cinema Treasures)

Parkway Theatre (no photo) I had forgotten I knew about this one. Also on Gramatan Avenue (a little further up in the Fleetwood section of Mount Vernon). A very faint, distant memory recalls me (again) walking by this theater and seeing a poster for the release of The Elephant Man. Interesting fact about this location’s fate – it now houses a funeral home.

Do you have a hometown/local/now long gone, forgotten building you remember fondly as a place where you would enjoy watching films? Share below.

Filed Under: Fun Stuff, On Location Tagged With: mount vernon new york, mount vernon ny movie palaces, movie theaters, old movie palaces, On Location

March 17, 2012 By iluvcinema 12 Comments

♣ On Location in Ireland ♣

Happy St. Patty’s Day Everyone!

♣

 

In honor of the holiday, here is a list of a few of my favorite films set in Ireland:

The Guard (2011): One of my favorite films of 2011; seen by way too few folks.

 

Hunger (2008): a breakthrough performance by one of my favorite actors, Michael Fassbender. A visually arresting film sparse on dialogue but leaves an indelible mark all the same.

 

In Bruges (2008): Caught this on cable randomly one afternoon and I am so glad that I did.  It is a perfect blend of humor, violence and tension. (Note: I am playing a little loose with this choice since, in fact, it is mostly set in Bruges, Belgium)

 

Circle of Friends (1995): For me this film is too cute for words. Based on the novel by Maeve Binchy, Circle of Friends stars Minnie Driver and Chris O’Donnell.

 

The Matchmaker (1997): First seen when I was going through my Janeane Garofalo phase (which I never probably left). I like to class this as a romantic/political comedy.

 

The Commitments (1991):

 

That’s me done: please take a moment to share some of your faves!

 

Filed Under: On Location Tagged With: ireland, On Location

March 5, 2012 By iluvcinema 7 Comments

On Location at the Palace of Versailles

Close-up of Chandelier in Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles © iluvcinema.com

Oh, l’ironie!

At the time I was scheduling this blog post, I had not known that a couple of weeks later I would have the opportunity to see  Les Adieux á la Reine or Farewell, My Queen at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (please look out for review later this week).

To get iluvcinema.com’s ‘French’ week started (you should detect a pattern with the posts), let’s take a look at another entry in my travelogue – the magnificent Palace of Versailles just outside of Paris.

As I learned yesterday during the Q&A session following the film, this landmark is the most expensive place to shoot in France and you can only shoot on Mondays (the only day that it is closed to the public).

I guess this bit of information means that the following films faves of mine are in quite exclusive company:

  • The Earrings of Madame De … (directed by Max Ophüls)
  • Funny Face (directed by Stanley Donen)
  • Paris Blues (directed by Martin Ritt)
  • Valmont (directed by Milôs Forman)
  • Midnight in Paris (directed by Woody Allen)
Shoes at the Versailles Gift Shop © iluvcinema.com

And before anyone asks about Sofia Coppola’s Marie-Antoinette, NO, I have not seen it.

Let me know what you thought of this film, or any film that I might have missed, in the comments field below.

Que plus tard …


* forgive the poor French, I studied Spanish in school (thus, the translations are courtesy of Google Translate).

Filed Under: On Location Tagged With: france, On Location, versailles

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

Search

Recommended Read

First True Hitchcock

UC Press, January 2022

Added to My Video Library

Repeat Performance

Centers of Film Study

  • JBFC
  • MoMA Film Screenings
  • The Picture House
  • University of California Press (Cinema and Media Texts)

Fast Film Resources

  • Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
  • Alfred Hitchcock-Master of Suspense
  • Film | The Guardian
  • Kermode & Mayo's Film Reviews
  • Park Circus
  • Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Internet Movie Database
  • Tribeca Film

Film Societies

  • BAMcinématek
  • Film Society of Lincoln Center

This is How We Blogroll

  • BBC Film: The Bulletin
  • Cinematic Corner
  • Comet Over Hollywood
  • Critical Women on Film
  • FlixChatter
  • Future of Flim (Tribeca Film Blog)
  • in so many words …
  • Kermode's Film Blog
  • Paula's Cinema Club
  • Roger Ebert
  • Sobriety Test Movie Reviews
  • Superhero Movie Talk
  • Sweet Freedom

Archives

Tweets by @iluvcinema
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact iluvcinema
totalfilm600movieblogs

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023, iluvcinema ·Streamline Pro Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in