The ‘Art’ of Exhibition

While it is in fact old news that revival theaters have been disappearing, due to a decline in audience interest in certain classic, revival and cult films, it is absolutely wrong to conclude from my comments a general decline in interest in “art” films (“Bringing the Movies Closer to Home--But Art Houses are Doing a Big Fade Out in L.A.,” by Denise Hamilton, Nov. 23).

Our 29 non-revival screens, including the Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion Cinemas, are successfully playing many first-run “art” films. Currently, in one or more of the 12 cities in which Landmark operates, we are presenting “Hope and Glory,” “Dark Eyes,” “Whales of August,” “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” “Maurice,” “Matewan,” “My Life as a Dog” (in its sixth month in two cities), “Tampopo” and many other specialized films to enthusiastic audiences.

Although single-screen theaters are still disappearing in Los Angeles, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of “art” films playing in Los Angeles since the opening of the Beverly Center Cineplex, our Goldwyn Cinemas in the Westside Pavilion and, most recently, the AMC 14 in Century City. These newer theaters, combined with the Laemmle theaters, are showing more of these films than have ever before been presented in Los Angeles at any one time.

Our revival patrons haven’t stopped going to the movies; their interest shifted to the increased number of quality “art” films available from both new independent distributors and the major studios. We simply adapted our programming policies in response to this shift.

STEPHEN A. GILULA

President

Landmark Theater Corp.

Los Angeles