July 17, 2006
Screen on the Green 2006 Preview
It's the moment that those who are spending summer in the city have been waiting for: Screen on the Green! Even underage interns can come out for the cinematastic fun. Now in its seventh year of converting the National Mall into an outdoor movie theatre, this year's line-up proves to be just as entertaining as the one from last year.
Monday, July 17: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Plagued by fear and apathy, humans must face a choice to become peaceful and understanding, or be destroyed by their proclivity to choose violence over diplomacy. The Cold War-era flick will have you craning your neck up from the screen to the sky, waiting for the alien Klaatu and his robot to land next to you on the Mall and issue an ultimatum easily applicable today. Michael Rennie stars as the giant Klaatu, who tries to convince everyone from the President to a war widow that the universe will not tolerate humans and their big guns spreading beyond their own war-ridden planet. How will it end? The decision rests with you. (Heather Goss)
Monday, July 24: The Band Wagon (1953)
Though you might sprain something just looking at the film's original poster, you won't want to miss the movie considered to be one of the "greatest Hollywood musicals ever made." Fred Astaire stars as an aging actor who makes a devil's deal that a remake of Faust will be his great comeback, but a pretentious ballerina comes along to make life difficult for the performer. You'll be on your feet before you know it, as you dance along to musical numbers like "That's Entertainment," that went on to become anthems of film and stage everywhere. (Heather Goss)
Monday, July 31: Bullitt (1968)
Steve McQueen plays a San Francisco detective who goes after the dude who killed a mob informant. Since popular culture these days has gone all Sopranos on us, you'll want to check this film out for the mob-ness as well as the car chases.
Monday, August 7: To Have and Have Not (1944)
There are Hemingway fans, and there are Faulkner fans, and for the most part there just ain't much overlap between the two. You generally love one and hate the other -- with of course the only exception being Howard Hawks' film adaptation of Hemingway's classic novel To Have and Have Not, with screenplay adaptation by Faulkner. The filmmakers only used a small section of the book (Hawks actually called Hemingway's version a "bunch of junk") and somehow came up with one of the greatest literature-to-film adaptations ever. Humphrey Bogart and a 19-year-old Lauren Bacall turn up the chemistry back in the days of WWII. Bogart plays a politico who ends up working for the French Resistance and falls for Bacall, who plays a fiesty pickpocket. Date movie, anyone?
Monday, August 14: Rocky (1976)
Who hasn't seen this film? I, in fact, have not. And getting to hang out underneath the stars in front of a big screen just might take care of that issue. This is the classic underdog going-for-the-gold story or Rocky Balboa. Inspirational, indeed. In order to prep for this, the final installment of Screen on the Green, Hill staffers might want to run up the stairs of the Capitol humming the Rocky theme song. Sidenote: Interesting how Sly Stallone's face hasn't changed much in 30 years...
Screen on the Green starts tonight. Grab your blanket, head on over to the large screen parked on the Mall, NW early (showtime starts at dusk, though if you're looking for a prime seat, heading over early is a good idea) and enoy a free film under the stars.
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Every year I've been in DC people make a big deal about SOTG, I get excited about one of the films, show up after work and wait nearly four freaking hours before it starts, fight with a bazillion people who bring shit like balloons and lawn chairs and frisbees, realize that it's 10:30 and the film isn't half over, spend an hour dealing with a mostly abandoned green line, and get home far too late.
Not this year. You guys go and have fun. I'm gonna rent a movie, buy a sixer of beer, sit at home in the air conditioning, and not mess with this. I've learned my lesson. SOTG is a great idea, but it doesn't really work. It ends up simply highlighting how detached the Mall is from the people that actually live in DC. I guess if you live on Capitol Hill, it's vaguely convienent, depending on where they put the screen. Otherwise, you end up dealing with a metro system that's already going to bed for the night.
No thanks. I'll pass.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is my all time favorite flick. To see this on the mall, where 80% of the movie takes place is going to be an amazing experiance for me! Additionally, many scenes take place in Georgetown and Dupont Circle. Its amazing how recognizable these places are in the movie. the places they filmed look nearly identical 55 years later...
Awwww! Poor Bwody can't stay up past his bedtime. :(
Stop your carping. The Mall is actually a reasonable walk for people who live on Capitol Hill, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle and Logan Circle. I can understand people who live in the suburbs whining about it, but whatever. Acting like getting to and from the Mall is a hassle is probably the most ridiculous thing I've heard yet. Please stay indoors. I'm sick of DCers such of yourself who whine whine whine.
I agree with Marty. I think the Mall is totally accessible from my house between Logan and Dupont. However, what's even closer is the screenings at Stead Park near 17th and P. Does anyone know if that's still happening? I read last month that it was suspended due to prohibitive costs, but I saw a sign for the movies yesterday in my 'hood. Anyone know the story?
A. I'm so glad there's someone else who hasn't seen Rocky
B. Last year, a church in Dupont was also sponsoring screenings- does anyone know if that's happening this year?
This is what pisses me off about the internet. Shitheads that'll popoff here, but wouldn't dare say a damn thing in person.
You know, despite the best efforts of some, it IS possible to live places in the city besides Dupont, Logan, and CapHill. Some people live in Columbia Heights and further north. Some people live (GASP) across the RIVER! And yet still in the District!
Congratufuckinglations. You can afford to live in Logan.
Brody, I live in Mt. Pleasant, on a block that is a metro ride up the green line AND a fifteen minute walk from the Columbia Heights station.
I was home and in bed by about 11:30. Somehow, I even made it into work on time this morning in spite of the ungodly hour.
(GASP!)
Sometimes not everything is convenient. I mean, it's almost like Pierre L'Enfant didn't have you personally in mind when he laid out the city!
Whether or not it's convenient, I would walk through the seven rings of hell (and that's how hot it felt yesterday) to see Steve McQueen on a big screen. Ah...Steve McQueen.
"Sometimes not everything is convenient. I mean, it's almost like Pierre L'Enfant didn't have you personally in mind when he laid out the city!"
Actually, these are exactly my two points- 1) For all the hype of SOTG, it's not all that convinent for most people in the area. Sure, there's a subset of people who are interns, live in logan or foggy bottom, dont care about when the get home, etc... But that's a pretty small subset of people here. So no, it isn't convinent.
And 2)- SOTG shows just how poorly used the Mall is, and how disconnected it is from the city. Compared to the pedestrian areas of european cities that are integrated into the lives of the residents, the National Mall is a wasteland. Pierre L`Enfant DID design the mall for people like me, what he didn't design was a sprawling morass of office buildings, monuments, and museums that have pushed most residents of the city away from the Mall. There's simply no compelling reason to be on the mall after dark, and something like SOTG hardly becomes compelling for the vast majority of people who live in the city. Events like the Sculpture Gardens Jazz series are more accessable, but its certianly not the heart of the city that it was intended to be.
There's been discussion before on how to fix that, and I dont know that there's a good answer now that so much of the area surrounding the mall is a wasteland of office buildings. A real cafe, as opposed to those jokes run by the park service would be a pretty good start. So would some of the large chess sets like you see in european cities. Anything that invites actual people to spend actual time there, not just something to cross from one museum to the other.
At the moment, the mall fulfills an formal and national function as America's formal front yard. As a nation we may have decided that's what we want the national mall to be- something to look at and be iconic. But as a resident of DC, that's not very fulfilling.
Oh Gawd, Brody. Chill. Its not cool that you've got serious class anxieties and grievances. Yes, there are many neighborhoods in DC, close to the Mall, that are expensive (and that even I am priced out of for the most part)... but there are also many ungentrified and affordable neighborhoods within walking distance of the Mall as well. I wonder if residents of those neighborhoods are going to sit around and whine about how they can't make it home by 10:30pm on the (GASP!) "mostly abandoned green line"??!!
Brody, I just found all of your whining about how the Mall is inaccessable pathetic. Seeing as how it is served by numerous Metro lines (I think blue and orange at smithsonian station and green and yellow at l'enfant, which is a little off the mall admitedly, but maybe a 5 minute walk? though I've actually never gotten off at l'enfant...).
Maybe the Mall isn't a regular part of DC life and is more of an ornamental accessory, but that's never going to change if people are afraid that they won't be home in time for their 10:30 bedtime. You do realize that there are events at the Mall all year round? At all times? And that many of us do attend these events, have fun, walk and metro it and make it back at reasonable times? No wonder the Mall is "poorly used": people like you can't get out past 10:30pm? eastern time?
But no you are right. You shouldn't set foot on the Mall until there is a Cafe that meets your specifications... until there is stuff to make Brody happy. Yeah, just stay in your bedroom and don't come out. Just stay there and whine and whine about how DC isn't a real city. The Mall is for tourists. Nothing is accessable. We get it, Brody. DC isn't SF and it isn't NY and it isn't Chicago either. Okay, Brody.
If you find the Mall inacessable, I'm sorry, but you are freaking pathetic. I'm about 20 minutes away from a Metro station, and I have to change trains to get to the Mall.
And, yes: I would say this to your face if you ever popped off about how inaccessable the Mall was.
Sorry, I sound so testy, Brody, but I'm just sick of everyone's whining. I think the SOTG is a great idea and I'm psyched about seeing the Bullitt car chase on the big screen!
Once again Marty, a post full of vitrol for me, and not a damn bit of substance.
Jackass.
Marty and BrodyV, sittin' in a tree
A-R-G-U-I-N-G
first scroll down, then click the link
to read the DCist comment policy.
Not to play, ref, Brody, but you didn't contribute anything of substance either. You don't like waiting, you don't like the fun that other SOTG-goers have, you don't like the Green Line, you turn into a Blooming Onion or whatever when the clock strikes 10:30pm. Okay. Your opinion noted.
What none of this proves is the overarching thesis of yours: "the mall is detached from people who live in DC." No, Brody, people who live in DC look forward to Screen On The Green. They look forward to the Folklife Festival. They look forward to the National Book Fair. And they come out in droves for these events and others. I guess whatever "detachment" you feel the Mall has from the life of the city is pretty easily overcome by, well, JUST ABOUT EVERYONE but you.
Seriously, a guy who thinks he's busting everyone else's chops by bragging about staying shut up in his apartment with a six pack of beer has an awful lot of nerve talking about detachment. But, heck, you don't like Screen on the Green? Awesome. Stay home. You shan't be missed.
Alright, I shall do this slowly.
The mall was designed for the residents of the city. The residents of the city no longer live near the mall because of the development of government buildings and government functions Pierre LEnfant couldn't have envisioned. This means that the mall is no longer for the city, but has been taken over for the country (Want to count the ratio of DC residents to non-residents at events such as the folklife festival?). This may be what DC wants for the mall, but it wasn't what it was designed for. Events like SOTG and Folklife do draw in city residents, but I dont belive that they do so in proportion to the breathless praise that's heaped upon them.
So how to address it? The best option is of course, the hardest- a reimagining of the area around the mall as residential, rather than law offices, highways, and great barricaded off places. The second option is to give some continuing reason for people to visit the mall as part of the life of the city. There currently isn't any gathering place for urban life. Dupont circle maybe. But DC doesn't have the kind of place like Old Town Square in Prague or the Ferhadija in Sarajevo or even the courthouse squares that exist in a hundred rural towns. The kind of place that people head to instinctively, just to see what's going on down there. You could transform the mall into that with a little work.
For that matter, what's being done there NOW could be improved. Running the Yellow Line to Fort Totten would help. A little crowd control of any kind would help. Doing SOTG a touch later in the summer would help. Starting the movie promptly at darkthirty would help.
And no, I dont want DC to become any of those other places. But I'm pissed off that to even suggest the mall and its events could be improved, people start screaming "lamer!" You know what? I work. I go to freaking sleep. Wooooo! Lame.
Was the tone on my first message a bit out of line? Maybe. But I'm not going to apologize for saying that for me, and a shitload of other people, SOTG doesn't live up to the hype.
You are right, Brody. I am full of vitriol for your comments. I couldn't care less about you personally. I just hope that I never have to hear your whining at any of the events at the Mall I do check out.
Fine: you don't like SOTG. It doesn't work for you. That's okay. I got no problem with that. Enjoy your six pack at home.
I just think that most of your criticisms of the Mall are pretty trite. First you claimed that it was too far away from where everyone lives. So its no longer at the heart of the population center of the city? Hokay. That's a great reason to write off all of the events held at one of our largest public "parks" (and one that is EASILY accessible by public transportation). You know, Brody: there are lots of other cities around the world with central public spaces that are no longer within walking distance for most of the residents.
Also, you claim that the Mall isn't the kind of place that "people head to instinctively"... well, you may have a point there, (thought I think DCist Jason is right and there are MANY of us who do head to the Mall for a lot of these events). But you know what? Staying at home and whining about being detached from the city isn't going to make the Mall more relevant in the lives of residents. In fact, if our city was filled with little Brodies, I'm afraid the Mall would be even less relevant.
Like you, I wish the Mall played a greater role in the lives of local residents. Its a great location with a lot going for it. But you know what's going to make it more relevant in the lives of local residents? Its not changing the urban character of the surrounding buildings from commercial to residential. Or extending the yellow line to Fort Totten. Or even better crowd control (I'm not even sure what the hell you meant by this, but whatever). All it takes is people who aren't afraid to take the Green Line after dark and who are willing to get involved and go out and enjoy the few fun activities that are on the Mall. If you don't like the ratio of locals to tourists at most of these events, staying at home isn't going to make it better. I think your points about the office buildings ringing the Mall and the yellow line not going to Fort Totten or whatever and the lack of "crowd control" (which raises a question: why does a place that is so removed and detached from the life of the city need more crowd control??) are just a bunch of red herrings. The real issue is that you don't want to go out and enjoy the city. Nothing pleases you. Earlier you mentioned that there isn't a cafe you like at the Mall, the Metro shuts down too soon, its too hot right now. Okay, okay. Stay home.
re: Screen on the Green
I like Screen on the Green, and the Folklife Festival. They are two of the nicer things DC has to offer.
However, I really wish they were held in late Sept or October instead of the middle of the summer.
The Mall in July/August is absolutely the worst place in the city to spend time.
I work in a large federal building across the street from the mall and can tell you that the grassy expanse is alwasy filled with people. its not a barren wasteland. Its actually thriving.
The Mall sucks eggs. The only thing worse than SOTG is the heat wave we call summer.
Can't people dislike SOTG? Does everyone always have to cheerlead every single DC event? What's with the Jehovah's Witness intensity to everything-in-DC-rocks-and-I-will-convince-you-if-I-have-to-repeat-myself-100-times?
A lot of DC "events" bite the big one, you know. Don't get so offended. DC aint your wife, and people have opinions as valid as yours.