Varsity

Last month, I went to see The Fallen Idol, a 1948 film based upon a short story by Graham Greene. The movie is about the young son of a diplomat who does all he can to protect his hero, the family butler. I had seen the film on video but was really looking forward to seeing a new print in the theater. About an hour into the movie the fire alarm went off and everyone calmly exited the theater. After standing around outside for nearly 20 minutes people began to file back in. The interruption disrupted my movie going mood and I asked for a refund. The theater staff was very understanding and gave me my money without any trouble.

Normally such a minor occurrence would never make it to Stewsnews where loyal readers usually find hard hitting news. However, it just so happens that a very similar thing happened to me, at the very same theater, last summer. That time it was Wong Kar-Wai’s Days of Being Wild. Instead of the fire alarm interrupting the cinema atmosphere it was a reel of film which was displayed backwards. This made it a little tough to read the subtitles. Again, the staff was very help and offered no resistance to my request for a refund. I suspect a conspiracy.