Goodbye Ziggy

I've lived in New York City for going on 25 years. I've seen lots of changes. I've seen the great 90's dance clubs turned into shopping malls. I've seen Chelsea turned into a daycare center. I've seen Times Square turned into- well, another daycare center. But with all the losses of favorite restaurants, bars, and assorted other institutions, nothing makes me sadder than learning that the grand old dame of one-screen theaters, The Ziegfeld, is closing. Over the last couple of years the rumors have run thick that the historical movie theater was hemorrhaging money- and any time I went to see a movie with an audience that was smaller than some of my birthday parties, I always figured this grand movie house's time was limited.

But to actually hear that this great cinema relic is closing is disheartening. Nowhere else in this city does a space invoke the reverence for movies that the Ziegfeld does. With it's 1100 red velvet seats, wide screen, and old-school lobby, the Ziegfeld conjured the feeling of a movie palace that pre-dated its 1969 opening. You almost expected to see a red-capped usher with a flashlight help you to your seat. When a film opened at the Ziegfeld- it was an event! Lines wrapped around the block- but the place never felt crowded. Movies felt like movies at the Ziegfeld- even when they were not necessarily the best movies.

So in honor of the passing of this great institution, here are some of the movies I remember seeing at The Ziegfeld.

In no particular order:

Jurassic Park (1993)
I went alone close to opening day after my shift as a soda jerk  finished at the diner cum Chess King fashion store known as Boogie's Diner. I arrived late and found the only available seat at the end of the very first row. Grumpy at the neck-straining view, I sat down anyway and found myself transported to a world where dinosaurs had been resurrected, and a movie franchise was born.

Death Becomes Her (1992)
I saw this under-appreciated comedy with one of my roommates. This satire on youth and beauty in Hollywood is still one of my favorites. How can you not love a movie that contains a failed musical based on Sweet Bird of Youth that features Meryl Streep cavorting around the stage singing the song "That's Not Me" into a mirror? Director Robert Zemeckis seems to have peaked with his 1994 Oscar-winner Forrest Gump, but the fun of movies like Death and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) give me hope that we may yet see another great Zemeckis flick. Why isn't Death Becomes Her out in a widescreen format??!!

Independence Day (1996)
This movie is pure popcorn dreck. But there's nothing quite like introducing your younger brother to The Ziegfeld on his first visit to the big city. The giant, alien ships darkening the sky and the White House blowing up seemed scarier there than in any other theater in New York City. Now there's a sequel with even bigger ships- but no Will Smith.

Chicago (2002)
I loved the stage revival and went to this one drunk. I did the unthinkable and hung my feet over the empty seatback in front of me and did all the Fosse moves I could. I'm surprised I wasn't thrown out.

The re-release of the Star Wars trilogy
The line for A New Hope (1977) wrapped around the block. The lines for Empire Strikes Back (1980) went down the street. We just walked into Return of the Jedi (1983). I guess the Ewoks weren't crowdpleasers- but seeing these films at the Ziegfeld reignited all those happy childhood moments. I probably saw all the prequels at The Ziegfeld- but I don't remember... as I shouldn't. I closed the circle by seeing The Force Awakens a couple weeks ago at the Ziegfeld with a Perrier in hand.

Doctor Zhivago (1965)
I saw this David Lean epic with a guy I was dating, hoping that the romantic film would spark love between the two of us just like it did Yuri and Laura. It didn't. I spent most of the time trying to wriggle away from my date's hand.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
If you ever get the chance to see Lawrence of Arabia on a huge, wide screen- do it. It's how this stunning historical epic was meant to be seen. Peter O'Toole's eyes blaze like blue fire and Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn's false noses jut off the screen. With set design by the gods of the desert, we found ourselves emptying our water bottles before intermission.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
This film is so much fun. There was a time when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas working on an Indiana Jones movie together meant a guaranteed good time.  After Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), nothing is certain. Zieg Heil monkey indeed!

The Godfather (1972)
I actually waited to see this movie at The Ziegfeld. It's operatic scope could only be revealed on a screen the size of the Ziegfeld's, I thought. I was right. Having my Godfather cherry popped at the Ziegfeld is one of my proudest cinematic moments. Now where will I watch The Godfather: Part II (1974)?

Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanski's twisted noir about murder and water rights is a classic. Favorite moment- when Noah Cross (John Huston) asks J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) if he's, "Fucking his daughter?" He was- on screen and in real life. Nicholson was seeing (and by default, fucking) Huston's daughter Anjelica.

Blade Runner (1982)
I don't remember which director's cut I saw at The Ziegfeld, and I don't care. This sci-fi noir is a seminal film and in my opinion, I don't think Ridley Scott has made a film as exciting and visually innovative since. It also means the actor I've seen most at the Ziegfeld is without a doubt, Harrison Ford.

So dear, Ziegfeld, even though you're going to be turned into a corporate event space where the elite will get drunk on Piper Heidsieck, shove canapes into their maws, and thrash about badly on a dance floor, for me, you will always be a place where movies are respected and loved.

Go in peace.

What films do you remember seeing at The Ziegfeld?