Around
this month two years ago, I collaborated with guest writer Sean Provost on a Destination Film article about his trip
to the historic and beloved Mahoning
Drive-In Theater, one of the last surviving drive-in theaters with the
largest CinemaScope screen in the state of Pennsylvania (check out our write up on the Mahoning Drive-In here). Known for exclusively projecting 35mm film
using Simplex projectors from the 1940s, in recent years the drive-in upgraded
to makeshift digital with a portable booth installed for unique film festivals
as well as a backup in the event a 35mm print shipment is delayed.
As
the theater prepares to reopen for its 2019 Season Premiere in April, something
truly wonderful came about at the end of 2017 when documentary filmmaker
Alexander Monelli decided to turn his camera on the historic Mahoning Drive-In and it’s owner and
film fanatic volunteer managers with the nostalgic and highly enjoyable At the Drive-In! Unable to purchase a $50,000 digital projector
per the newfound industry standard of doing away with striking celluloid
prints, At the Drive-In both
chronicles the long, arduous journey taken on by manager/head-projectionist
Jeff Mattox and his business partners Virgil F. Cardamone and Matthew McClanahan
as well as capturing their kindred passion for keeping the drive-in theater
experience alive.
Much
like the Peter Flynn directed documentary The
Dying of the Light which saw the gradual dissolution of celluloid film
projection in favor of digital, At the
Drive-In is a heartfelt and sincere love letter to cinema and a tribute to
the dedicated cinephiles who make all the blood, sweat and tears of managing
the theater worth it. As with the
Michigan based Redford Theater as
well as many other non-profit theater venues in effect, the Mahoning Drive-In is a volunteer effort
with nearly all the staff members working scheduled events for free with all
the profits forwarded back into the theater.
Providing
a thorough overview of the theater’s history as well as the ups and downs faced
by the current crew, including but not limited to low attendance, print
shipping delays and/or the prospect of it all shutting down due to a lack of
funds, one comes away with a mild-at-best understanding of the hardships of
running the theater. But when you see
the hundreds of movie fans from across the nation clamoring at the entrance of
the historic theater for the latest film festival or special event, you
understand why the people running the Mahoning
Drive-In do what they do. The group
camaraderie and mutual love for the drive-in theater scene is something the
elite chain multiplexes can never offer and for many the films being shown are
secondary to the shared communal experience.
A
few peers of mine are regular attendees of the Mahoning Drive-In and seeing At
the Drive-In can’t help but create excitement about one day venturing out
to this historic film venue myself. If
nothing else, At the Drive-In is a
testament to what makes both the Mahoning
and the drive-in movie theater experience in general a still vital
experience modern moviegoers should be able to have even as the film industry
continues to move away from it.
Getting
to meet the people through the film running the theater and hearing their
backstories about how they came to be involved with the Mahoning Drive-In was eye-opening and spoke volumes to many more
like-minded individuals dedicated to keeping the bygone eras of film exhibition
from fading into the night. As a
documentary, At the Drive-In has the
capacity to make you want to buy a ticket and drive cross-country to the
drive-in theater tomorrow! I know I
can’t wait to go!
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki