French version : Cinéma
The light’s out. Everything is dark. All you can see is the screen, which, right in the centre of the wall, shines brightly. The night lights on the ceiling were on. Now everything is dark. The room has taken on a different appearance, now that it is no longer lit as it was before. Darkness has invaded the room. But maybe not. Not completely. The screen still provides light, but it wouldn’t be enough to read a book. But anyway, who would want to read a book in a movie theater? Who would be strange enough to read when the movie is about to start? All those people in the theater. They came to see the movie, not to do anything else. It’s like someone going into a library and saying, « No, I came here to watch a movie on my computer. I don’t want to read » when it’s still a place full of books. Or a person might come to the gym and say, « I came here to take a little nap »…
In that case, why move? Why bother coming to this place if it’s not for sport? It’s the same principle with books in cinemas. There would be no point in reading when you’ve paid for a ticket to see a movie. Let’s go back to the theatre. The movie has just started. People are getting a little deeper into their seats. They can find a comfortable position, they know they’re there for at least two hours. So some of them shake a little more in their armchairs before they stop and stare at the glittering screen. The screen is really shiny! You could almost light up a street at night with it! But at the same time, it’s normal that it’s so bright, since it’s so dark, in this room! It could almost be scary.
But that can also be a positive point, because you can concentrate better on the film that is projected on the screen if the room is dark. The walls are probably soundproofed or something like that. Otherwise you would hear the sounds of other films as you walk down the corridor of the cinema. But in the end, these corridors, they’re not used for much purpose. That must be why they put up the upcoming films there. You never pay attention, but one of the films on the walls might be the reason why you come back the next time. Because without realizing it, the poster of that film pleased us and got stuck in our heads. And when we see that same poster several months later, we might want to go and see it, or at least we’ll be familiar with it. In the theatre, the film has just started. We’re at the first lines. They’re fun.
Everybody’s laughing. Well, maybe not. Everyone except for the boy sitting in the back pouting. His friends couldn’t go to the movie with him. He’s all alone and he’s determined to stay in his corner, not to laugh with the others.
The film continues. One of the elderly ladies sitting in the front row seems sad, too. She couldn’t take her little dog with her because pets are not allowed. The film makes her laugh, she gets a bit of a kick out of it. She knows she will find her little companion after the session. The woman sitting in the third row on the left tries to relax. She had been working too hard lately and was almost burnt out. Her friends advised her to take care of herself and rest. So she chose this funny, all-audience film. She laughs heartily when she sees a busy worker coming on the screen.
The old bearded man sitting on the right side laughs too. He has taken his grandson to the cinema to show him what it’s like. The little boy is four years old and has never seen a movie on the big screen. The grandfather is proud and happy to show him this. As for the man sitting in the middle of the room, he is staring at the screen with concentration. He loves to go to the cinema and once he is there, he savours the moment. The film goes on and soon it’s over. The last line is given and the end of the film is shown.
Fin(e). 