Cemetery screenings in Hollywood, Calif. bring classics back to life.
LOS ANGELES - I feel a sense of anticipation whenever the lights finally dim in a movie theater just before the opening credits. It's almost like boarding an airplane or a roller coaster ride that whisks you away into another world. But whenever the sky dims and the sun sets over moviegoers on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, it's like departing on a time machine destined for another reality that exists in the vaults of Hollywood studios.
Every year, from June to September, L.A. residents pay their respects to old Hollywood at Saturday night outdoor screenings of classic films on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, an eternal resting place for the stars on Santa Monica Blvd. Cinespia, the organization that produces the events, opened its 10th year of screenings with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," paying tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away earlier this year.
LOS ANGELES - I feel a sense of anticipation whenever the lights finally dim in a movie theater just before the opening credits. It's almost like boarding an airplane or a roller coaster ride that whisks you away into another world. But whenever the sky dims and the sun sets over moviegoers on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, it's like departing on a time machine destined for another reality that exists in the vaults of Hollywood studios.
Every year, from June to September, L.A. residents pay their respects to old Hollywood at Saturday night outdoor screenings of classic films on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, an eternal resting place for the stars on Santa Monica Blvd. Cinespia, the organization that produces the events, opened its 10th year of screenings with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," paying tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away earlier this year.
While the thought of spending an evening among crypts and tombs at first seemed creepy, I was delighted to check this off my 'Things to Do" list after hearing a Cinespia organizer's interview on a radio program. I attended a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's classic, "Vertigo," a personal favorite of Cinespia founder John Wyatt.
Admission to the screening costs only a $10 donation. Hundreds of moviegoers lined up in the late afternoon to secure a good spot on the lawn in time for gates to open at 7 p.m. During the migration from the entrance to the actual screening area, you are greeted with impressive sites of beautifully constructed monuments and Art Deco architecture from the 1920s.
Groups at the event varied in age and size. The yuppies, the hipsters and the gays all came out in full force, many with incredibly stylish picnic baskets in hand, containing a variety of snacks and beverages. No price-gouging concession stands at this venue. And in the spirit of keeping the mood festive, alcohol is permitted at the screenings. Many brought their own selection of wine or purchased it at the makeshift bar at the side of the lawn. Some wandered the picturesque cemetery grounds, which is a Walk of Fame in its own right. While the property is beautiful and green, I was a little too creeped out by many of the tombstones, each displaying a holographic image of the deceased's face.
A DJ spun records until it was dark enough for a clear projection to come through onto the white marble wall of the cemetery's largest mausoleum, where the likes of Rudolph Valentino and Peter Lorre are buried. When the film started, people took their seats in low lawn chairs and cozied up with one another under blankets. Against a graying sky, over 2,000 movie lovers watched as Hitchcock's classic was brought to life in a spirited celebration of old Hollywood.
This weekend, The Hollywood Forever Cemetery will screen "The Jerk" (1979) starring Steve Martin and will show Hitchcock horror classic "Psycho" (1960) on Aug. 27. Tickets and parking are available at the event and online at Cinespia.org.
Like Cinespia on Facebook here.
Like Cinespia on Facebook here.
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