friday my:dc : movie palaces

DC is a town that appreciates film. Our independent film festivals, while not on the level of Cannes, Sundance or Telluride, often launch obscure films into general release. Many members of the American Film Institute live in the greater DC area, and AFI is headquartered in DC.

And then there are the movie palaces.

Many of them are gone forever – the Loews Cinema and Loews Georgetown on Wisconsin Avenue are two examples – but some remain. The Lowes Uptown in Cleveland Park is a marvel of hodge-podge art deco design. It has seen glitzy premieres (2001: A Space Odyssey had its first showings at the Uptown in 1968), and every summer it is the place to see the big, blockbuster productions. I saw Iron Man there last night, and the marvel of the Uptown’s ultra-wide curved screen, tremendous surround sound setup, and majestic auditorium make it a treat.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, the AFI runs its own palace: the AFI Silver. Rescued from years of neglect less than a decade ago, the Silver features two small screening rooms and a beautifully restored auditorium, the original Silver. The place pays tribute to the glory days of film, before the multiplex made film more of a commodity retail affair. The curtains are plush, the sound large, the screen wide, and the seats comfy. There’s even an Wurlitzer organ in place for the occasional screening of a silent film classic.

I snapped this photo of the inside of the Silver while awaiting a screening of the 70mm print of 2001 – a nice connection between the Uptown and the Silver, the grand dames of the greater DC cinema scene.

Wanna see more? Hillary, sprite, Sarah, and MsP are all photo-happy and willing to share their unique DC-based views.