Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace

First half was pretty interesting (although I got way too much Ross Melnick and too little Lennie Maltin). I am old enough to remember when the best part of going to see "Ben Hur" was gazing at the outside and inside of the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd where it was shown. For a ten year old whose architectural experience was limited to suburban housing and shopping centers (malls weren't happening yet) it was, to put it mildly, a real trip.

Second half majorly drags with the final third pretty much a litany of various restorations of various movie palaces. Certainly a worthwhile endeavor but a bit repetitive and enervating to watch. And too much time throughout was spent on the movie biz rather than the movie theater. I didn't need to be told once again about D. W. Griffith's making the movies a mass medium or the rise of United Artists or Mary Pickford's business acumen.

As I watched this doc from the comfort of my pandemic couch I kept wondering if movie theaters will survive COVID. They survived TV, so there's some hope, but I worry that this particular "shared human experience", even though it can involve obnoxious humans who won't shut up or silence their phones or sandwich wrappers, may be a thing of the past. Give it a C plus.

My wife and I had the pleasure of seeking this warm, loving hommage to movie palaces at Classic Cinema's York Theater in Elmhurst, IL -- with the added bonus of Director April Wright there to discuss the film afterwards.

It's a joy. My perspective might be tainted by seeing so many movie palaces of my youth again on the big screen -- and this film should be experienced on the big screen. The Granada, Riviera, Uptown, Music Box (still alive and very well), and the Avalon (aka New Regal) where I drove on a date for the first time. Like so many of the other palaces of then and now from around the nation featured in this film, the Avalon in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood still stand in all its glory. I had occasion to attend Avery Brooks' one man show of Paul Robeson there on the centennial of Robeson's birth, and it was amazing how much smaller this grand theater was -- compared to how huge it seemed when I was a kid.

If you remember the joy of seeing a film with hundreds of other movie goers, and remember the astounding over the top architecture of some of these movie palaces, see this film. If you never had the experience, see this film and you'll see why so many miss the movie palace of yore.

"Going Attractions" is a documentary celebrating the great old movie palaces of yesterday...mostly built in the 1920s-40s. Unlike a typical theater, these places were HUGE and FANCY...far, far nicer than the nicest modern movie theaters. But, over the years, these places have mostly been torn down and this movie explains why as well as provides hope that some of them might be preserved.

I enjoyed this film but am sure many viewers will think of an old movie palace near them that is never mentioned in the documentary (such as the Tampa Theater near me or Grauman's Egyptian Theater). Additionally, occasionally some of the details are off...such as talking about films by the famous Lumière Brothers while showing a film of Georges Méliès. Another minor detail is talking about how theaters resorted to giveaways to get folks into the place...something which actually was practiced in previous decades. Still, these quibbles are minor and the show features some lovely archtitecture and history.

A follow-up to Director April Wright's "Definitive" take on the American Drive-In, this Documentary is more of a survey of movie theaters, old and new, palatial and cozy and, inevitably, active, decaying or long gone. Some of these classic movie palaces were so monumental they are probably beyond the comprehension of generations of filmgoers who have only attended multiplexes. They were works of art just as much as they were functional facilities. To see many of them in a state of disrepair is sobering.

No fan of movie theaters will be disappointed in the photos, vintage films and new footage of these cinematic treasures. As a Doc, it's not terribly scholarly and it flits around from idea to idea, hopscotching around the history. There are some good interviews (the ever ready Leonard Maltin among them) to give perspective, while others seem to be included, just because the filmmakers had access to them.

Of course, nobody is seeing this to witness great filmmaking. It's the theaters that count - and they take center stage.

Available to stream for rent on Apple TV, Amazon and Google Play.

Certain decades are explored regarding the evolution of the movie palace in general, but there are several decades completely omitted. Most notably, the '30s and '40s when they thrived. I think this documentary would have been elevated if it not only focused on the genesis and decline of the movie palace but also on its heyday.

Other than that, I found it an interesting watch; and of course, seeing the amazing architecture in both original and decaying forms is a real testament to the magnificence of the movie palace as a whole, as an experience and not just a place. Although I enjoyed the interviews, it would have been nice to have heard from more than just a handful; but that's nitpicking.

I was left feeling terribly sad not just because of the unfortunate decline of the movie palace, but because it's a depressing reminder that we are more and more becoming a society of autonomous and anonymous individuals rather than a collective of our own race. Recommended for those who love movies and the nostalgia surrounding them.