‘Colors’--A Gang Film That’s Caught in a Crossfire : How Do Theater Owners, Studio View the Picture?

The opening scene of “Colors” displays a grim police statistic: “In the Greater Los Angeles area, there are approximately 600 street gangs with over 70,000 members.”

Citing those numbers, critics of the controversial film have voiced concern that local movie showings could be accompanied by gang violence. Are theater owners and Orion Pictures, the film’s distributor, making special preparations to guard against possible disorders?

If they are, they’re keeping them under wraps.

Orion executives have refused to say how many local theaters are scheduled to show the film, which opens Friday nationwide. However, The Times has learned that it has been booked in 53 theaters in the Southland.

Orion seemed disturbed at the controversy surrounding the film. “I think all this fuss is basically a media-created situation,” said Eric Pleskow, president of Orion. “The idea that this film will create violence in an area already beset by violence is just crazy.

“We’re very happy with the film. If it hadn’t accurately portrayed the situation as it is, it probably wouldn’t be under so much criticism. A lot of its critics are just using the publicity as a platform for themselves.”

Orion executives said that at least three theater chains will exhibit the film--Pacific, Cineplex Odeon and United Artists, which is opening the film at its flagship theater the UA Coronet in Westwood.

Reached for comment, each of the three chains’ head film buyers refused to discuss the film. Several managers of local theaters scheduled to show the film also refused to comment.

However, Milt Moritz, a spokesman for Pacific Theatres, said his chain has booked “Colors” into eight area theaters--in such disparate neighborhoods as Hollywood, Glendale, City of Commerce, La Jolla and Huntington Park.

“We’ve seen the film and we think it’s very good,” he said. “It’s much more than just an exploitation film. It makes a definite statement and I wonder how many people who’ve been pounding away at it have actually watched it.”

Moritz insisted that his chain was taking “appropriate” security measures, though he would not offer any details.

“Let me put it this way--people are going to be safe in our theaters. We feel we have a responsibility to make the public feel as comfortable in our theaters as they would in their own homes. So we’ll have whatever back-up personnel is necessary.”

Asked how many, Moritz laughed: “It’s not like we’re going to have the army out front. But we’ll have people on the scene.”

A source at Cineplex Odeon Theaters said the chain is beefing up security at its Fairfax triplex theaters because of their close proximity to Fairfax High School. The source said the theaters are expected to have six uniformed security guards working the theater lobby and parking lot. A spokesman for the chain refused to comment.

Asked about its security preparations for the film’s opening weekend, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said, “We’re not making any comment about the film at all.”

“Colors” producer Robert Solo angrily insists that his film is being unfairly blamed for depicting an enormous community problem. “We feel as if everyone wants to shoot the messenger,” he said. “I don’t think this is the kind of film that will incite anyone. This film was completed long before a woman was shot in a gang cross fire in Westwood and suddenly everybody discovered we had a gang problem.

“So now, instead of our film being seen as an eye-opener that may shake up a complacent community, we’re being accused of glorifying gang violence, as if we’d rushed out and shot the film eight weeks ago.”

Solo said he had not been involved in any discussions about theater security. “My guess is that theaters will hire extra security, but I’m ambivalent about it. If it makes people more comfortable, I suppose it’s OK.”

According to Moritz, the Pacific Theatres have booked “Colors” into a normal complement of theaters. However, sources close to the film said that Orion has experienced booking problems with other chains, especially with United Artists, which was initially reluctant to book the film into the UA Coronet.

Orion president Joel Resnick, the studio’s president of distribution, described the film’s exhibition pattern as “a normal run for us,” though he acknowledged that “downtown theater owners were initially a little wary of the film.”

Resnick added that the film is scheduled to play in “about 400 theaters” nationwide, but said he did not know the number of theaters it would play at in Los Angeles.