The image is from the New York Public Library at Unsplash.com.
Liberty Theatre used to be a place where we could go to forget about our troubles. First there were the Nicklodean silents, then the talkies, and with the electronic age came digital film and special effects. No matter the media, we could lose ourselves in the story.
Once in awhile movies came along that faced the truth. Movies like “Brazil,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Mississippi Burning,” and “The Free State of Jones.”
Last summer Liberty Theatre burned down, caught in the path of the wildfires that are eating up our state. The dustbowls came afterwards. Those whose forefathers went as far west as they could are getting into their SUVs and driving east. They will stop somewhere between here and the wildfires in the east headed this way.
[125 words]
Fandango is the host of Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge. Fandango says:
Welcome to “Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.” Each week I will be posting a photo I grab off the internet and challenge bloggers to write a flash fiction piece or poem inspired by the photo. There are no style or word limits.
I always wanted yo go back to Brazil, but after watching this trailer maybe I will just go to Hawaii again.
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lol!
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What a melancholy tale, not only of the loss of a landmark that provided entertainment and escape for generations, but of the devastating impact of climate change. Well done, Li.
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Glad you thought it was well done, thank you.
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memories of time passed – the city I grew up in at one time had 4 downtown theaters like that,now it has one which was restored to a live venue rather than movie theater (which is still a good usage.) Multi-plexes may have better snacks and sometimes comfier chairs but not quite the ambience of those early-20th Century downtown places
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100% in agreement with you, Dave. At one point and maybe he still is, Michael Moore was helping fund the renovation of old movie theaters around the country. I know he did one in Traverse City, which is north of here. They are (inter)national treasures, those old movie houses. I’m guessing you heard about Tarantino renovating The Beverly in LA to show the old style film reels?
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