|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Thirty Cubans Bear Witness: A Major Documentary on Castro's Human Rights Violations
| Article
# : |
14192 |
|
|
Section : |
THE ARTS
|
| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1988 |
1,896 Words |
| Author
: |
Elliott Stein
Elliott Stein is a film historian, critic, and writer
currently living in New York. |
The Miami Film Festival was five years old this year--as festivals go, it has come of age. A mere few years ago, however, there were a number of naysayers who opined that Miami was a dynamic but essentially frivolous town without a cultural community capable of supporting good cinema. They have since been proven wrong--by the festival's nearly sold-out attendance; the high standard of films (many Miami selections have been American premieres of movies like last year's My Life as a Dog, which went on to nationwide success); and the relaxed, hospitable atmosphere that gives the screenings and special events a distinctly unstuffy, and special atmosphere simply not available at any other film festival on this continent.
One of the festival's trump cards is the opportunity to view movies as they are most satisfyingly viewed--in a grand, "atmospheric" movie palace. The Paramount Publix Olympia in downtown Miami first opened its doors on February 11, 1926 to present to enthralled Floridians a show composed of The Grand Duchess and the Waiter, starring Adolphe Menjou, on screen (accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer organ) and, on stage, the Paul Whiteman Band. Florenz Ziegfeld and Al Jolson were in the audience on opening night. During the next four decades, everyone from Eddie Cantor to Elvis Presley performed on the stage. By the sixties, like most downtown theaters in the nation, the Olympia had lost its audience. It was shut down in 1971, but saved from demolition by philanthropist Maurice Gusman. It now functions as a year-round cultural center and is the home of the Miami Film Festival. The mechanical effects of the magical old theater have recently been restored--stars now twinkle and clouds scud across the trompe l'oeil sky ceiling as in days of
... (1926 of 11346 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
