The Big Picture

Vinton, Iowa is a town of some 5,000 people located on the Cedar River in the northern part of the state. In a story repeated in small towns all across the country, Vinton flourished through much of the 20th century but over the years as the importance of the family farm diminished the town began to fall on hard times. Businesses failed, people moved away and in the early 1970s, in a story also repeated in too many small towns across the country the Vinton Palace Theatre closed its doors. Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of a lot of people in the community, the theatre is a viable business again and this month it successfully premiered its first digital 3D movie.

As many people are already aware, Cinedigm Digital Cinema’s co-founder A. Dale “Bud” Mayo has retired as chief executive officer and president of the company effective immediately. He will continue as chairman of the board of directors. A search for a successor has begun. I first met Mayo in person in the spring of 2005 at the midnight premiere of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The event was held at Cinedigm’s own Pavilion Digital Showcase Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, which has five 2K-digital cinema screens and, at the time laid claim to being the largest 2K venue in the United States. Then, and now, that venue for that event seems fitting in so many ways for there is simply no question that Bud Mayo played a key role in changing the way exhibitors do business.

I was fortunate enough recently to see the digitally restored complete version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent masterpiece Metropolis at the Film Forum in New York City. Following its premiere in Berlin the 153-minute film was substantially edited and the complete film was thought to be lost forever. However, in 2008 Argentine film archivist Fernando Peña found the newly discovered footage, roughly 25 minutes in length, in the archives of the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires. The film, which will be available on DVD later this year, has clearly stood the test of time and, after 83 years, merits its reputation as one of the great German expressionist works. I encourage everyone to see it while you can on the big screen. It’s playing around the country through the summer. There’s a link at the end of this article to the film’s website where you can find screening times and locations. But although I was caught up in the story throughout the screening, as I sat watching it I couldn’t help think about what Metropolis says about the motion picture industry in the digital cinema era.