| Drive-In
Movie Memories
(Editor's
note: Garcia turned this in a couple of months ago, and
it is completely and totally my fault it's only seeing the
light of the net now.)
As usual,
Cinequest knocked loose a few things that had been rattling
around my brain. One of which was the memory of a documentary
I had seen a couple years back directed by Kurt Kuenne (Rent-A-Person)
called Drive-In Movie Memories. I ran into Kurt
and asked for a screener so I could rewatch the film that
I remember as one of my favorite docs of the last two years.
I’m glad he remembered to bring it for me because
this is one of those docs that both manages to do the documenting
of reality right while not skimping on making a nice piece
of innovation.
The
drive-in is a personal favorite of mine. I grew up attending
the Winchester Drive-in at least once a week, playing on
the horsie swings and watching films like Star Wars,
9 to 5, and ET. I can remember the taste
of snack bar hamburgers perfectly. This doc was right in
my kitchen, but it went well beyond my expectations the
first time I saw in 2002, and even beyond those on my second
viewing last week.
Though
based on the books of Don and Susan Sanders, Drive-In
Movie Memories is made amazing by the way Kuenne attacks
the subject with a heavy dose of original snap shots and
an almost Eisensteinian love of the fact cut. There must
be at least a thousand photographs used and a ton of old
pre-show and intermission trailers. The fast break action
between the pictures and the rapid fire editing only ads
to the feeling that the drive-in was a lively place, not
just another “hard top” where people went to
sit and actually watch the movies. There is a great pre-movie
piece, obviously done for regular sit-down theatres in the
early 1960s where a spokesman tells kids to keep it silent
during the entire picture. This section, with its single
camera position and the barren background as the speaker
warns us of the trouble of youngsters at the movies, juxtaposed
with the Kuennian edit style, really plays up the differences.
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As always, the sections on the failures
of various drive-in owners was amazingly strong. The explorations
of the various sound methods and weather deterants may have
been my favourite. There is an excellent section on carside
air conditioners that would spew rats into your vehicle
that just kicked my ass I was laughing so hard.
The
interviews are amazing, as they hit a huge player (Leonard
Maltin), a cult legend (John Bloom aka Joe Bob
Briggs), a bevy of B-movie actors, American International
studio head Samuel Z. Arkoff, and actor Barry Corbin, who
was my personal favorite. This is a knowledgeable and interesting
group, who entertain with smart anecdotes and give us the
important info we require.
There
is a great section on sex and the drive-in, where a woman
who went to an ozoner to mess around with Elvis Presley
recounts her experience. Kuenne uses and interesting technique
where he sometimes allows several peoples voices to overlap,
forming a confusing mass, but one where you can still pick
out a single thread. It reminds me of a filmed version of
early issues of Wired magazine.
Kurt Kuenne also has the distinction of
being a first rate film composer, and the score does the
work a huge amount of justice. From the very beginning,
the orchestral score stirs up images of John Williams’
great pieces for the films that would mark the end of the
drive-in era.
Drive-ins died off due to the VCR, the multiplex,
Cable TV, and Daylight Savings Time. Now that the last generation
of regular drive-in kids are getting to the age of nostalgia,
a piece like this is perfectly timed. Beautifully made,
magnificently edited, and highly informative, Drive-In Movie
Memories is well-worth seeking out. For more info, check
out http://www.americandrivein.com/.
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