Movie Night in America

“For towns across America, theaters — both the stage and screen variety — have long been places to congregate. During summer months, they offer sweltering citizens a cool place to collectively relax.

‘The movie theater is one of the last places where we can still gather and experience something together,’ German film director Wolfgang Petersen once said. ‘I don’t think the desire for that magic will ever go away.”

— “The theater: No longer a magical refuge from reality,” Michael E. Miller, Washington Post

“Going to a summer movie is a celebration of the American creative spirit and one of our nation’s most beloved pastimes. Let us stand together in these times of tragedy and embrace what is precious to us — churches, schools and places where the arts can send our spirits soaring. As a national community of artists and audiences, AFI offers our heartfelt sympathies to the victims in Louisiana and their families.”

— Bob Gazzale, American Film Institute

More:

“What we lose when movie theaters aren’t safe,” Alyssa Rosenberg, Washington Post

“A Brief History of Violence in American Movie Theaters,” Jason Bailey, Flavorwire

Update:

“Largest U.S. movie chain searching bags after recent theater attacks,” Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post

Video: “Saturday Night at the Movies,” written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, recorded by The Drifters in 1964.

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Tags: collective experience, community, Crime, films, movie theaters, movies, public safety, society