Charlottesville Loses Something Hugely Valuable

And something many might not have even known about. I’m sure (and hopeful) that there will be homages to the Vinegar Hill Theatre in the coming days and weeks, but let me put forth my two cents – It. Was. Awesome.

Vinegar Hill had only one screen, and they did what they did well – and even had great popcorn.

From their website:

The theatre is equipped with two Century 35mm projectors. Films are shown the old-fashioned way, with the projectionist smoothly “changing over” from one reel to another with the aid of visual cue marks on the film. It is the only theater in Charlottesville using this system, which results in less wear and dirt on the film print. It is also the only commercial theater in Charlottesville to have one projectionist for one auditorium, resulting in the fewest projection problems in town.

Its presence added value to CharlAlbemarle. Knowing that something this cool, this cultural, this idiosyncratic in today’s multiplex, shoot-em-up, homogenous world was here, in Charlottesville, was cool, cultural and enormously valuable.

I saw only a few films there over the years, most memorably Life is Beautiful with my now wife, when they unfairly turned the lights on as soon as the credits started to roll – and we all had somehow gotten something in our eyes.

I’ll miss the Vinegar Hill Theatre, and I’m sorry that I didn’t take full advantage of it.

So, if you’re around this week(end) for the Virginia Film Festival, catch a film at Vinegar Hill.

Update 29 October 2008: Courteney Stuart has the story that Vinegar Hill Theatre will in fact, be re-opening under new management. Now I can procrastinate even more …