In Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, film luminaries talk about cinema and the impact of LA’s Egyptian Theatre. The documentary is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Much like how opera has palaces and paintings have museums, cinema has its theaters. Guillermo del Toro, Rian Johnson, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Lynette Howell Taylor, and other film luminaries talk about the human experience that cinema encompasses.
LA’s Egyptian Theatre is a temple of cinema. The luminaries discuss the experience the grand theater, which has existed since 1922, offers, the energy it carries, and the challenges it faced.
The Egyptian Theatre is an important place in the invention of how people experience movies. The American Cinematheque and Netflix have worked on remodeling the theater, and the magic of cinema is going to be passed down through generations.
Positives
The 11-minute documentary film brings together film luminaries who passionately talk about what cinema means to them and the magic it holds. A viewer is reminded of how they fell in love with a film.
The way cinema is described as an out-of-the-world experience is inspiring in itself. What elevates this 11-minute experience are clips from various films from around the world.
These clips are backed by strong background music that further sends shivers down a viewer’s body. A viewer may get lost in these clips and forget about what the interviewee is saying, as these are just put together well.
The documentary also succeeds in convincing a viewer why the Egyptian Theatre is an experience not to be missed. Its ability to still run nitrate-based films will make viewers curious and want to watch a cinema in this temple.
Negatives
The luminaries talk about the magic of cinema to such an extent that one will forget that this documentary is about the Egyptian Theatre. The discussion around cinema kind of overshadows the Egyptian Theatre’s story.
Lastly, within the 11 minutes, a lot is discussed, and for the most part, the discussion feels rushed.
Verdict
Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre is sincere in capturing the essence of cinema and the important place the Egyptian Theatre holds in its history. The documentary surely reminds viewers why they fell in love with cinema in the first place and the experience that movie theaters offer.
Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre
Director: Angus Wall
Date Created: 2023-11-09 13:30
3.5
Also Read: All the Light We Cannot See review: An undistinguished adaptation