Seemed like a good idea at the time—Puttin on the Ritz

By Bill Drust
Collegian Staff
April 12, 2006

In times past, people immersed themselves every week in the act of enjoying Sunday afternoon. Elaborate picnics and outings were planned, or people simply went for a drive—anything that involved enjoying the day together. It is a rare occasion that I get to do the same while at La Salle. However, this past Sunday’s great spring weather and a date at Center City’s Ritz East movie theater conspired to blend old and new to produce a wonderful noontime excursion.

I woke up at around 10 a.m. and was on the road about an hour and a half later. A drive into the city is best on one of those days when the sun is hot and the breeze is cold, but it’s even better weather for a walk. After parking near Penn’s Landing, my date and I sauntered over to the Ritz East, located on Second Street between Walnut and Chestnut Streets.

We had obtained advance tickets for a 12:15 p.m. show. The South Korean film entitled You Are My Sunshine was a part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. I was quite impressed with the film, but also with the festival workers and the venue. The workers, most of them volunteers, were helpful and amiable. We picked up our tickets and found seats with ease.

The actual theater is one of the better ones I’ve been to in the Philadelphia area. It’s a relatively small movie house, which provides an intimate setting in which to view a film and also seems cleaner than most. And in these days of indulgence and coddling, many will view a movie in a reclining chair or not at all. Ritz East goes a step further. My chair reclined, but not in an airline sort of way. Its easy-rocking action was right out of a grandmother’s fantasy.

Now, I try my best not to be a teetotaler when it comes to cinema etiquette, but most audiences around Philadelphia exhibit simply appalling behavior during movies. Viewers, grown-up and otherwise, screaming and yelling like preschoolers can be found everywhere, but Philly harbors an unusually high concentration. I won’t broach the subject of cellphone usage during a movie except to advise against it. You’ve been warned.

This viewing experience, though, was of a quality I haven’t known in a while. I have no doubt that this is attributable to the Film Festival. We were surrounded by people who (surprise!) actually cared about watching the movie. This allowed You Are My Sunshine, a wonderful romantic melodrama, to sufficiently radiate upon the audience. Consequently, when rating the movie afterwards on the provided ballots, it was a little difficult to be sure if I was praising only the film or also the film’s audience.

Emerging from the darkness of the theater, we were treated once again to a pleasant stroll and later, a car ride back to La Salle. Looking back on this charming afternoon, there is little about which I can complain. Perhaps I should have been catching up on some school work. But school will be over soon, and the sun isn’t getting any shyer. Whether indoors or outdoors, my advice is to call up someone you have fun with, shirk your responsibilities for a while and see where Philadelphia takes you — especially on a Sunday afternoon.

drustw1@lasalle.edu