Matt Shields
Malibu beach ‘Blanca’
The Intro
Going to the drive-in picture show is a fond memory. I know they still exist, but I haven’t been in so long, and I am sure they must be a slightly different experience now, at least with sound quality. Nothing beat hanging the metal squawk box over your window, walking back to the central concession stand for popcorn and piling into the front seat of the station wagon to watch “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.” Or, during our high-school days, turning the pick-up truck around so that the tailgate faced the screen, piling the bed full of blankets and pillows, breaking out the beer and making out to a re-run of “Jaws.”
On Saturday, Rhonda and I went to see the Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman classic, “Casablanca,” outdoors. It was quite an event. Worthy of being called among my top movie-viewing experiences thus far. It wasn’t exactly a drive-in picture show, but it was shown outdoors on the Malibu Pier.
Until Oct. 27, CommCinema is showing a different movie every Saturday evening at the pier. The films are free of charge, though there is a “suggested $5 donation” box at the entrance to the pier. You can bring your own chair, or rent them. You can bring your own snacks, or buy them there. For the adults in the group, 10 Cane Rum (one of the sponsors) serves up free mojitos, Cuba libres or lime daiquiris.
The Film-Going Experience
First off, “Casablanca” is one of the greatest films of all time … at least in my opinion. You could screen a scratched-up, poor-sound quality, 16mm print of this movie on a Formica counter-top and it would still play well. The story and characters are timeless.
Secondly, the “theater” location: The screen is set up at the end of the pier jutting out into the Pacific. Late-evening surfers drifted nearby. As the sun set, the stars and moon appeared and the breeze kicked up a bit. We set our chairs up by the railing, and I could peer over the edge at the ocean’s waves breaking in the moonlight as the film began. Once the first image appeared, I knew this was going to be cool …
The picture and sound quality were awesome. A brand new Sony HD projector was used. “What great quality,” I thought. “I am really glad we decided to do this …”
“Yeahhhh, ha, ha, ha. Great, just great…”
A drunken man was really into the movie and being very vocal about it. We realized that since it was a public access pier, anyone could wander down to see what was up. “Hey! A movie! And what is this? Free booze?!” Yeah, they had it all scoped out.
Next, was the cat-woman who sat next to Rhonda and spoke to her in random fleeting sentences about random fleeting subjects. At first I worried that she would talk to us throughout the show, but that never came to be. This film was too good. It drew everyone in with the intensity of its story-telling and the pleasure of its characters. This was a great thing to do on any Saturday night, for anyone and everyone.
At times the wind would ripple across the screen and the characters faces would distort, which really was quite cool. It made this screening even better. Or, when they stopped the show during a dramatic scene in order to let the private fireworks show down the coast finish up. We all just watched the fireworks and listened to the band playing across the street at the Malibu Inn, then jumped right back into the story when the projector rolled again. Toward the very end, during the climactic moment at the airport, the wind kicked up again and folded the top portion of the screen nearly in half. The projectionist tried to straighten it out, but could not. No matter. We were too drawn in, and Bogie and Bergman were too charismatic to let a little thing like a wavering screen hinder their performance. As the final credits rolled, everyone clapped. This was a very satisfying, and affordable way to spend a Saturday evening.
Upcoming films are:
“The Mummy” (new version)- Oct. 13, 7:15 p.m.
“Transformers”- Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
“2001: a Space Odyssey”—Oct. 27, 7 p.m.