The Magic in the movies
finding my way back to the magic.
In February 2020 I went with a group of girlfriends to the movies, one of the local movie house chains in South Africa was doing their monthly “girl’s night out” events where only women are allowed and the film selected is usually a soon-to-be-released rom-com or “ chick flick”, my friends and I attended this event on a regular basis, its a great way to catch up with pals and also just enjoy a movie that is light and funny, a great night out for all involved. On that night in February 2020, I could never have known that it would be the last time I would sit in a movie theatre for 3 years. Movies are a big part of my life -obviously- and I like to go sit in a cinema as often as I can, when I was working on the cruise ship I missed a lot of new movie releases so since being back on land I feel like I have lot of catching up to do.
During the pandemic when we couldn’t go to the movies, I regularly turned my living room into a movie theatre complete with a concession stand but it’s not the same, no matter how big your TV is or loud your speaker, it’s just NOT the actual movies, there’s no whirring sound of the projector , no freezing air conditioner and no sudden set of butterflies as the house lights go down and the screen comes to life in front of you, in short …there is no magic. As fun and as comfortable as home movie watching is, it’s just not magical like going to the movies.
When the world started to open up and we could start going to the movies again, I decided that the first film I wanted to see needed to be something special, I decided on Sam Mendes's new film “ Empire of Light” because it’s set in a movie theatre, one of the themes is the escapism of cinema and also Olivia Colman-who as far as I’m concerned hung the moon- I checked the upcoming listings of the local cinema complex and put the release date in my diary, I was excited and ready to go, I could picture it : me a huge tub of movie house popcorn, peanut m &ms and the cherriest slushie the movie house has ever made….and then the local movie house canceled the film like it wasn’t coming to local screens at all[Ster Kinekor YOU SUCK!]…now what? I wondered.
Enter my sister, who suggested we go watch Bridget Jones's Diary at the outdoor cinema in the botanical gardens, we could picnic and watch our favourite heroine under the stars and surrounded by table mountain, the flora and fauna . I agreed and we went, it was a truly fantastic night out but it wasn’t the movies you know.
Enter Tara and Kahlil who were shocked and horrified to discover that I had never been to the Labia Theatre despite having grown up and living in Cape Town almost all of my adult life. For those unfamiliar, the Labia is the oldest independent art-repertory theatre in South Africa, its a beautiful old-school-looking cinema with an old-fashioned ticket booth and old-fashioned concession stand very much like the set of “Empire of Light” -my how it all comes together-I spent years driving past the Labia to and from school and yet I never ventured to their hallowed grounds. Tara and Kahlil were determined to fix this, the movie schedule was opened on someone’s phone, the date, time and film were set - Wedneday [last night]8:15 pm Tar starring Cate Blanchett-fresh from a successful award season-.
My first trip to the Labia left me with stars in my eyes. We entered through an arch covered with ivy into a quaint courtyard, we bought our tickets from the old booth and the tickets were actual little tickets you might find at a carnival, we bought wine - wine at the movies???? WHAT BEAUTIFUL SORCERY IS THIS?-, the theatre entrance is behind a red damask curtain, the seats are covered in red velvet with the most extraordinary light fixtures all around you. The lights went dark and I felt those glorious familiar butterflies of excitement start flapping their wings, the smell of popcorn in the air, the goosebumps on my arms from excitement and the air-con, the screen coming alive….I was back where the magic lives.
The film we selected -Tar- was actually perfect for the first venture back to movieland, an incredible feast of visuals and sounds. The film is a perfect selection for a film study, Cate Blanchett delivers a masterclass - as usual-. I walked out spellbound and will need the next 5-7 business days to process every single second of the film.
Today I woke up feeling like a missing part of my soul had returned. I had so desperately wanted ‘Empire of Light’ to be my re-entry to the magic film but the movies and the universe know best and I’m glad they came together and collectively decided that my return trip to the magic of movies was Tar and that it would be at the beautiful Labia Theatre -who’s doorstep I promise to frequent- but mostly I’m thrilled that movies still have the power to take me away to distant places, that stories up on the big screen make me learn things and feel things and relate to things and I’m the most thrilled that I get to be part of that, that my calling in life is to be part of that magic to help create that magic.
I hope every single time you enter a movie theatre you feel that particular brand of magic starts to seep into your veins.
Long may the magic of the movies reign!
xxx