As I walked into the George Eastman Museum's Dryden Theater, I felt as though I had stepped into a time machine. On the way to the traditional, old-timey box office, tons of vintage movie posters and the theater entrance made me feel like I was on Broadway. As everyone took their seats, an older gentleman who looked like he walked straight out of the 1920s gave the attendees a historical background of the film we were seeing-The Barker.
The film itself, which was released in 1928, is considered a "part-talkie". Before films included synchronized (同步的) sound, films were played with live accompaniment and contained subtitles to add context. With the invention of synchronized sound, films slowly added talking dialogue in scenes throughout the film; these films were considered "part-talkies".
The Barker, which explores the lives of carnival workers, is the talking debut (首次登场) of all of the main cast. The film was revolutionary not only for the technology but also for the actors. My film experience consists of mostly talkies, so when I finished The Barker, I felt like I witnessed something brand new for the first time.
The experience I had at Dryden Theater was unlike any movie-going experience I had ever had. The music, the film, and the atmosphere itself were completely unique! Since viewing films has gradually been switched to streaming services, especially since the pandemic, this has both increased the accessibility of films and stripped us of reliance on a social experience to watch a movie-one that attending The Barker reminded me of.
"Barbenheimer", a phenomenon that contrasts the obvious differences in the recently released movies Barbie and Oppenheimer, allowed us to return to the movie-going adventure. Finally, everyone wanted big screens and surround sound rather than the tiny screens in bedrooms. More importantly, we were all able to interact with a piece of content alongside other people. "Barbenheimer" brought back the pastime of going to the cinema-one that I think we should continue to engage in. I say we take a page out of the 1920s playbook and return to the cinema.
