Old Films At Bay Street, Guild Hall And WHPAC

By Lauren Isenberg

No matter what troubles we are experiencing, going to the movies has always been an escape. The magical worlds that the movies have allowed us to travel have expanded our knowledge and given us personal ties to others. Someone born in 1920 could have had the exhilarating experience of seeing King Kong on the big screen in 1933, or the romantic memory of catching Casablanca in 1942 at the drive-in theater. From Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart to Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, we have all fallen in love with the movies. Films hold true to their time period, giving the viewers a bit of immortality.

So there is Hollywood and that is something to be proud of. But the west coast does not hold all of the glory when it comes to the history of the movies. The first drive-in theatre was opened on the east coast in Camden, New Jersey and the largest drive-in to ever exist was right here on Long Island, in Copiague, with space for 2,500 cars.

During the winter months in the Hamptons, local venues let us relive old movie experiences by showing films that may be more artistic than the average blockbuster, or perhaps even a foreign film, exposing us to a different culture.

This winter on the East End there are several venues offering flicks. Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor is bringing movies such as The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966) and It's a Mad Mad Mad World (1963) to the big screen once again. Also being featured are St. Elmo's Fire and The Breakfast Club, both from 1985. For just five dollars, one can relive seeing a favorite movie in the theatre, whether it's from the 40s, 60s or 80s.

Guild Hall is offering diverse culture with international and independent films such as As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me and Mother of Mine, and they can be viewed for free. This is such a lovely gesture and much appreciated by local film buffs, as they are thirsty for these types of films.

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center brings us their Finest in World Cinema series, also showing an eclectic group of films. A few are award-winning and participated in the Hamptons Film Festival, including The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Margot at the Wedding, which was filmed on the East End two summers ago.

This attractive event that has become tradition during the winter months in our hamlets may have been influenced by our very own Dan's Papers They Made the Movie Here Film Festival, which has occured bi-annually each year in the fall and spring since 1995. Sarah Halsey has been working with the Dan's film festival for years. She hosted it this past fall at The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and explained, "I think it had quite a bit of an influence on the venues, possibly giving an example that it can be affordably done. Dan's may have actually been the first free film festival. Through Dan's generosity, he has provided a great opportunity to the public. I have always considered it a pleasure, privilege and joy to be part of this venue, and to be part of giving pleasure to people receiving the opportunity to enjoy movies, have discussions regarding them and voicing opinions afterwards and refreshments to boot."

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