Tonight, at 7:30 in the pm at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown, the founders of the original Oak Street are gathering, along with concerned patrons (that would be you and I), to try and save the old gal.
I’m hoping for the best but steeling myself for the worst. No doubt this meeting is being held because the Board of the Minnesota Film Arts has not been forthcoming with their plans to save the thing. I’ve emailed a few of them myself, and their response has been that they’re busy trying to get the Mpls-St.Paul Film Festival off the ground, which might be a good excuse. I have a boatload of questions for both parties and I’m hoping to get some answers tonight. Undoubtedly, I won’t get all of them.
One question I have is this: if the board fails to respond, would we be willing to start over, in some new location (like the Varsity or the Suburban World? Or the Hollywood Theater?). In my mind, this isn’t about the building, it’s about seeing films like Little Otik, Pickup on South Street, and The Godfather, with the latter’s maniacal fans ignoring their vacations so they could watch their favorite on the big screen. The Oak Street Cinema is one of my favorite places on earth, because of seeing movies like these with crowds of like-minded individuals. The building is only a part of the pleasure, and the smallest part to me: saving the Oak Street doesn’t mean showing Crash and Match Point just to plug some financial holes. This place means something because of what they bring, and the possibility that someday your favorite classics will land there. Like Winchester ’73 or the new films of the Brothers Quay and Jan Svankmajer. Or simply Singin’ in the Rain.
I wrote this when I last heard the Oak Street was closing: …I’m tired of the good things coming to a close. I’m tired of seeing beautiful theaters sit empty, tired of watching DVDs by myself, tired of seeing the good and small things in life succumb to the mechanical beasts that care only for our money, and never for our souls. If you’re tired of all this, stop by and watch one or both of these wonderful movies. Then, whether or not they blossom or fade away, thank whatever it is you thank for the gift of the Oak Street Cinema.
I’m hoping this meeting will be a new beginning and not a final farewell.
Last time it was Citizen Kane and Casablanca. Tonight we’re being treated to some wonderful Harold Lloyd shorts tonight with live accompaniment accompanied by Prairie Home Companion pianist Rich Dworski. And because it’s the Varsity, there’ll be a full bar, so that we can enjoy, as Vincent Vega says, “a glass of beer!” with our flick.
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