Falmouth is a town that boasts, amongst many other things, a nationally recognised arts and media campus – so it’s no surprise that the only cinema in town is The Poly, which doubles an an art gallery and shows eclectic seasons, combining a few bestsellers (largely for the tourist visitors with bored kids) with the more obscure.
In fact, there is a campaign in town at the moment to open a multi-screen cinema in a converted army drill hall that has served as an anitiques market for many years.
I have my fingers crossed that the attempt fails because even though I am a movie fan, if I want to see mainstream I can drive to Truro, just 10 miles way and visit The Plaza, a beautiful art deco building which has been voted as one of Britain’s top independently owned theatres.
Here in my seaside hometown, I prefer the quirky – especially since the choices do often represent the tastes of a largely over-50 or student demographic.
Honeydripper was last night’s choice – slow in the way that perfection is slow – but a lovingly executed reminiscence of 1950 Alabama and the black music of that time.
Danny Glover is an unexpected surprise after decades of typecasting – and the music is just wonderful.
The whole movie is an atmospheric sauna of Deep South heat, injustice and the blues.
You wouldn’t get that in a multiplex.