I remember seeing Dracula when it opened in 1992: A packed movie lobby with a line of ticket holders snaking around and filling every available and empty space (fire hazard). So we had paid already and were now waiting for the theater to be cleared for us to enter. Keep in mind this was back before tickets were for a specific seat in a theater. And you were painfully aware of this Lord of the Flies situation unfolding. And also keep in mind that over 70% of the waiting patrons were dressed in Victorian garb (lots of blood red and black and purple velour). I missed the memo, thankfully, and left my stovepipe hat home (I don't really own one [but wouldn't mind if I did]).
So this giant intestine of patrons filling the lobby began to move, and it was bedlam. No one respected the order of arrival:
Lots of pushing and polite shoving, with a dash of panic due to being in a giant mass of wall-to-wall human beings... and the Victorian garb made it feel like being in a blurry faded photograph in a history text... about The Great Theatre Fire of 1992.
Thankfully, no fires erupted, and the film turned out to be pretty freaking great. I still love the practical effects, and the score by Wojciech Kilar is in the top three film scores of all time. It just IS.
Click below for the musical track that totally should have accompanied the moment the crowd began to move towards that theater door...
8 comments:
Wouldn't it be great if movie theaters played music befitting the movie to set the tone as you were going in? Our theater just plays some generic muzac. I love the digestive system as a way to visualize a crowd. I still have PTSD over attending Lollapalooza in Chicago and practically being trampled by crowds. It definately felt like those small intestines trying to squish into that little colon all at once.
Agree about the music. I recall one theater when I went to see Ghostbusters in 1984 that would play film scores in the theater as you waited. That's pretty golden.
That sounds horrendous. And it makes me think of various comic/horror conventions that I’ve been to. I know it is self-inflicted trauma, but it is trauma nonetheless, haha.
I love this movie. I love everything about it. The surreal film style, the actors, the cinematography, the costuming, Gary Oldman, who is a God among men, and Anthony Hopkins, whom is dear to my heart. Even the moments of ridiculously bad acting from, Keanu Reeves, and Winona Ryder. Two actors I love. And the score....omg, it is seriously amazing, and I listen to the opening theme all the time.
SPOT. ON.
Like even the stiff and horrible acting by those two... it's now such an official part of this movie. At this point, I wouldn't change a thing.
And, yeah, the score...
Perfect film, even with Keanu's hilariously bad accent. The music, costumes, cast, cinematography, everything. I remember the first time seeing it in the theatre, too. On my first attempt, my favorite cousin and I had our parents drop us off for an evening show, but it was sold out. Dejected, we wandered into a local Barnes & Noble to kill time before our folks picked us up, where I found a copy of the Dracula movie book, which is filled with tons of iconic gorgeous photos of the film, still have it to this day. I finally got to see it a short time later with my high school best friend, I remember we both got totally emotional over the ending and sobbed our way out of the theatre. Seen it about a zillion times since then. I hope they do a 4K restore and bring it back to theatres.
Haha! Hilarious depiction of your experience, Rot!! Felt like I was there. : D
Imagine the smell of popcorn and moist velour... haha
Hahaha! Moist velour....
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