My first memory of going to a drive-in theater was the year 2001. The film was A Knight's Tale, directed by Brian Helgeland. I remember watching the film up on the screen, amazed by the fact that the film was being shown outside, amazed at the size of the theater, which in reality was nature. As you can see from the picture above, the Colville, Washington drive-in theater has beautiful nature. It's not really one of those gated-off premises that are the majority of drive-in theaters these days.
My family has gone to this theater for years, but in the past few years it's become not as pleasant an experience. The images on the screen are foggier. The shape of the screen has become outdated, by the massive move to the more appealing widescreen. And now, due to the move away from film to digital, even the projector is outdated. So, early last year, rumors began circulating that the theater was going to close down. One of the few remaining cinematic landmarks, those wonderful theaters that would combine film with the charm of nature, was going to close.
Fortunately enough, though, the town of Colville, as well as many surrounding cities rejected this idea, and donated thousands of dollars. The screen is now being replaced, and has been in the process of being replaced for the entire last season suitable for drive-in film viewing. Thus, it has been a year since I've seen a film at the drive-in theater.
Many people eagerly await the re-opening of the nostalgic theater, including myself. I'm excited to see films again on the screen. No matter the quality of the film, this rather unpopular method of film-viewing adds an odd appeal to the experience, a rarely experienced and deservedly relished theater of the past.
I hope to see one or two films of 2015 in the Colville Drive-In theater.
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