Boise, ID

“There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South . . . Look for it only in books for it is no more than a dream remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind . . .” Margaret Mitchell

Yep, you got it–Gone with the Wind. Now, the movie itself is one thing. Seeing it on the big screen would be fun, but at the Egyptian in Boise? Completely awesome! How many times can you say you’ve even seen the movie title on an old cinema marquee? I can say . . . never, until now! That’s one thing that’s great about the Egyptian. Every now and then they play a classic. Seems like every year they show The Wizard of Oz and at Christmas they show It’s a Wonderful Life. This was a no-brainer for us. B’s best friend came over to go with us since she had never seen Gone with the Wind. The three of us took off with the idea of being transported back in time.

The movie was at 5:00 so we got a matinee price of $5.00. You buy your tickets outside at the window and then just go in. A large popcorn is only $3.00. That’s how it should be, don’t you think? The lobby is fairly narrow, but long, and the Egyptian painting on the walls and pillars along with the lighting creates an atmosphere you can’t experience anywhere else.

The theatre was designed with an Egyptian theme because King Tut’s tomb had been discovered and the style was all the rage. It has a cool history. If you want to learn more, go here: http://www.egyptiantheatre.net/index.htm.

The seating is on multiple levels. You walk down to the main area or up four different stairways to get to the top levels. The picture I took is fuzzy, but you get the idea.
The Egyptian hosts different kinds of art events, so when we went to see Gone With the Wind, we couldn’t see the organ in the pit because it was covered by a temporary stage. It’s been there since 1927 (the organ, not the stage). If you go to the Egyptian when the Treasure Valley Youth Symphony puts on Musical Movies and accompanies old silent films, you might get to hear somebody accompany a film with it.

Okay, the Overture started playing and the credits started rolling and I did feel transported. It was just like watching a movie of an old movie theatre. I could see the heads just over the tops of the seats in front of me silhouetted by the light from with screen. The screen looks different than we’re used to seeing at the regular megaplexes because it’s set back on the stage. It doesn’t wrap around and it isn’t two stories high. It’s just not in your face. The image is wrapped by the curtains, elaborate hieroglyphic designs and, of course, Egyptian statues that make us wonder what they are. It’s great.

No doubt, early movie makers had a different idea about editing than now because Gone with the Wind is loooong. Long enough that since I parked in the garage I actually paid six bucks! More than my movie ticket but worth every minute.