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Lend me your ear

Missouri Theatre leaves film series open to suggestion.

By Katie Moritz

Published Feb. 26, 2010

It was 6:50 p.m., the doors were opening at 7 p.m. and the Missouri Theatre staff didn't know what to expect. Only time would tell how many people would show for the first installment of the theater's "Great Directors, Early Works" film series.

A lot of the evening's patrons didn't know what to expect either. For many, especially in the case of the younger set, this was their first big-screen experience with Feb. 19's movie, Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

That will be true for many films shown in the series, said Cozette Lehman, Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts marketing assistant. Films will be shown on 35mm film, just as they were years ago when they first hit the screen.

"For film buffs, it's the equivalent of listening to vinyl," Lehman said. "They relish the opportunity to see films on 35mm."

Self-proclaimed "film nerds" and freshmen Alec Tegels and Jonathan Kienzle were among the first to get their tickets taken when the doors opened. The promise of a chance to see their favorite director's work in its original state was a big selling point for coming out to see a flick they've seen time and again.

"It's sometimes nice to remember you're watching a film," Tegels said. "Blu-Ray is nice, but sometimes it's too much like real life. 35mm just shows it's a classic."

The opportunity to do something different with her Friday night brought Columbia resident Jacque Jones to the theater.

"It seemed like a fun adventure," Jones said. "The story looked interesting."

At 7 p.m., the theater was still quiet. There were several people in the lobby waiting out the start of the show or for the rest of their party, including a man with a nose stud and a Captain Hook mustache he said he'd been cultivating since September. Ron Ribiat, as he introduced himself, is a "Reservoir Dogs" fan who had never seen the film in theaters but looked forward to it.

"It's more of an event," he said of seeing the film in a theater setting. "It's more collective. There's more of an energy."

Looking around, Ribiat said he was surprised to see the theater so empty so soon before the film was scheduled to begin. He anticipated a few of his friends showing up to enjoy what he called "classic Tarantino."

"I was pimping it on Facebook," he said.

"Reservoir Dogs" seemed to have no limit to the types of people it lured in from the rainy, blustery weather. There was a split between young and old, men and women, dates and groups of eager teens. Lesson of the night: Boys love Tarantino. Gaggles of young men flocked to bond over a classic Quentin bloodbath.

Date night was also the name of the game as college students and middle-aged Columbia residents hoped to find romance amid the f-bombs and gunshots. One pair even came matching: he, bearded and mulleted, in a colorful plaid shirt and she in a scarf with the same pattern.

The "Great Directors, Early Works" series will include classic films by favorite directors, such as Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant and Spike Lee, that weren't necessarily box office smash hits, according to a news release.

Instead of going the traditional route of picking each film and creating a schedule ahead of time, a survey was administered after "Reservoir Dogs" was shown, allowing patrons to suggest movies they'd like to see included in the series. Lehman said she hopes popularity for the series will grow via word of mouth.

The next film in the series is not set in stone, Missouri Theatre spokeswoman Kanani May said. The title of the film, which will tentatively be shown in late March, will be announced soon. May said the series will include four more films and will hopefully be repeated next year.