Friday, November 09, 2007
Scars
I took this photo at the Loews Jersey at the Boris Karloff Film Festival (we only saw Frankenstein)...
It shows the scar of where a wall used to stand. In the '80s, this grand movie palace was converted into a multiplex, and the owners just slapped up some dividing walls with no regard to the ornate plaster details.
Now, the theater is owned by Jersey City and being restored by a group of volunteers. They've made it functioning including the organ, so now they are starting to be able to deal with cosmetic issues like touching up the plaster which was painted to look like gold and marble. But should they fix this scar? No.
Because history is constantly happening. One second ago is history. And like it or not, the '80s are also history. I'm not proud of my lee press-on nails or long t-shirts with tails, and it also doesn't seem that long ago (there are registered voters younger than those t-shirts) but it happened.
We pick and choose what we think is worth saving... the '50s style generic residence hall I stayed in is slated for demo because, among some other reasons, it "doesn't look like the rest of the campus" which is becoming a georgian revival campus. Those utilitarian concrete blocks of buildings are just ugly, and therefore not worth saving.
Your own scars make you the person you are, reminding you of what happened and what will not happen again. So it is the same with the Loews.
PS: The Loews is showing "The Jazz Singer" in honor of its 80th anniversary on November 10, 7:30PM. As you may know, Al Jolson's movie introduced sound to the silent movie industry, killing the hopes and dreams of many-a attractive, squeaky-voiced chorusgirl.
http://www.loewsjersey.org/Labels: nablopomo
