The Downfall of Landmark Cinemas

I used to go to Landmark theaters in California, and I recall how Landmark used to be a cultural leader. What I mean is, unlike most theaters and moreso than average art-house cinemas, they really made an effort to show films that made people think and encouraged a love of film.

I especially remember the Berkeley theater in the 1990s, which used to have weekly themes e.g. Humphrey Bogart week, or Bruce Lee week. Landmark even showed controversial films occasionally, films that were unavailable in videos stores or even university libraries such as those of Russ Meyer and Leni Reifenstahl. Landmark during this period was a leader with real courage and a vision of a better society.

We don't usually think of theaters as exhibiting cultural leadership. After all, the TV won that argument long ago and the public has long since given in to its circus-like distractions. In California anyway, one does see a phenomenon somewhat, where venues such as independent theaters and cafes exhibit leadership by working to serve the intellectual and cultural needs of the public.

In the case of Landmark, unfortunately their leadership has ended. Recently I called up a Landmark theater and asked if they were ever going to show any of the 9/11 Truth documentaries, which are so important to waking up a slumbering, unthinking public. There are about 20 in all and several have been viewed many millions of times via the Internet. Yet I was told this was unlikely. I was told by the like-minded manager that what had actually happened was that Landmark had been bought out by a bigger corporation, and its days of leadership were over. All that matters now is profits.

But I asked myself: Why would any profit-minded theater chain not show films that are relatively inexpensive to obtain and proven resoundingly to be desired by millions of people? I know of only one movie theater that has shown them, and it's not one of Landmark's. Perhaps out of fear of reprisal by the Bush administration, this theater called Clearview seems to be making almost no effort to draw attention to their showing of Press for Truth and other films. video.google.com/videoplay

Given the solid foundation that these movies have in physical evidence, science, eyewitness testimony, the media's own video footage, and engineering, to not show them is reckless and irresponsible. Our country is becoming a police state. To be silent about it is to be complicit. (Evidence: http://firmitas.org/PoliceState.html)

The millions of consumers who have viewed such films online on YouTube and Google Video can only see this dereliction and justify their abandonment of the corrupt "old media".

The expectable pro-business counterargument, that the economics of running a theater require a minimum of profits per film, therefore everything has to be a blockbuster, is wrong. Art-house theaters survive throughout the USA by showing limited-run movies every day. Some art-house theaters combine blockbusters and artsy films to make ends meet, but some show artsy films exclusively.