More than 100 years after the first movie delighted audiences,
movie theaters remain the last great community centers and one of
the few amusements any family can afford. While countless books
have been devoted to films and their stars, none have attempted a
truly definitive history of those magical venues that have
transported moviegoers since the beginning of the last century. In
this stunningly illustrated book, film industry insiders Ross
Melnick and Andreas Fuchs take readers from the nickelodeon to the
megaplex and show how changes in moviemaking and political, social,
and technological forces (e.g., war, depression, the baby boom, the
VCR) have influenced the way we see movies.Archival photographs
from archives like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and movie theater ephemera (postcards, period ads, matchbooks, and
even a "barf bag") sourced from private collections complement
Melnick''s informative and engaging history. Also included
throughout the book are Fuchs'' profiles detailing 25 classic movie
theaters that have been restored and renovated and which continue
to operate today. Each of these two-page spreads is illustrated
with marvelous modern photographs, many taken by top architectural
photographers. The result is a fabulous look at one way in which
Americans continue to come together as a nation. A timeline
throughout places the developments described in a broader
historical context."We''ve had a number of beautiful books about
the great movie palaces, and even some individual volumes that pay
tribute to surviving theaters around the country. This is the first
book I can recall that focuses on the survivors, from coast to
coast, and puts them into historical context. Sumptuously produced
in an oversized format, on heavy coated paper stock, this beautiful
book offers a lively history of movie theaters in America , an
impressive array of photos and memorabilia, and a heartening survey
of the landmarks in our midst, from the majestic Fox Tucson Theatre
in Tucson, Arizona to the charming jewel-box that is the Avon in
Stamford, Connecticut. I don''t know why, but I never tire of
gazing at black & white photos of marquees from the past; they
evoke the era of moviemaking (and moviegoing) I care about the
most, and this book is packed with them. Cinema Treasures is indeed
a treasure, and a perfect gift item for the holiday season. -
Leonard Maltin"Humble or grandiose, stand-alone or strung together,
movie theaters are places where dreams are born. Once upon a time,
they were treated with the respect they deserve. In their heyday,
historian Ross Melnick and exhibitor Andreas Fuchs write in Cinema
Treasures, openings of new motion-picture pleasure palaces that
would have dazzled Kubla Khan ''received enormous attention in
newspapers around the country. On top of the publicity they
generated, their debuts were treated like the gala openings of new
operas or exhibits, with critics weighing in on everything from the
interior and exterior design to the orchestra.'' Handsomely
produced and extensively illustrated, Cinema Treasures is detailed
without being dull and thoroughly at home with this often neglected
subject matter. Its title would have you believe it is a
celebration of the golden age of movie theaters. But this book is
something completely different: an examination of the history of
movie exhibition, which the authors accurately call ''a vastly
under-researched topic.''" - Los Angeles Times