No this is not one of those “I went to the New Bev and it’s a cathedral for movie geeks” blog post. But in a way, it is. No, in fact I want to waste a few of your precious minutes and point out the larger picture that I see when I look at Quentin’s New Beverly Cinema.
Now playing: THE PASSAGE, an often overlooked adventure starring Anthony Quinn, James Mason and Malcom McDowell. Get the BluRay
The New Bev is a repertoire movie house in Hollywood that Quentin Tarantino saved from going belly up and then subsequently took over, including its programming, a few years ago. It’s staffed by true movie geeks and shows only 35 or 16mm copies, many from his own collection, or struck specifically on order from the New Bev. A lot of the shows are double features, special topic engagements, kiddie matinees, re-releases or homages. It is a truly amazing place, only a stone’s throw away from where one useless blockbuster movie after the next is being produced (I’m not a big fan of all these super hero and comic book franchises, I like real movies). The New Beverly is a bastion of true cinema, and not only has it built up a cult following (usually all shows are sold out in advance), it has also inspired other repertoire movie theaters across the world, and it has put itself on the map as an ambassador of sorts for celluloid – just as its proprietor. The New Bev is one of Quentin’s projects that circle around efforts to preserve film projection (another is buying up Kodak stock to ensure demand for continuation of production).
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