During this holiday season, I had much more free time than I expected. I found myself looking for entertainment options, but nothing seemed to spark my interest. I was searching for something to do outside the house. There was Avatar 2 in 3D on the cinema schedule, but I longed for something more special, more out of the ordinary. I thought it would be boring.
While browsing on my phone for other cultural and artistic events, my mind wandered to my very first experience at the cinema. It was in 1921 and back then there weren’t many movies to choose from, especially movies suitable for children. The cinema didn’t operate on a regular basis, we had no TV, and of course no internet. All we had were books and storytelling people.
I would often see newspaper ads announcing new movies at the cinema in Csíkszereda. I was fascinated by stories in general and I loved reading books. But I thought movies were even better, that they were magical, like books that turn into reality. My parents went to the cinema a few times and I would ask hundreds of questions, begging them to tell me what it was about. My mother would tell me the story and I’d spend days imagining it.
The cinema was in the “Vigadó” (Cheerful) hall which served as a cultural center where most cultural and entertainment activities in Csíkszereda took place. It was a public cultural hall with a stage, a cafe, a hall, and hotel rooms as well. Even though it was built in 1904, due to reparations and later because of the war it didn’t really serve its purpose. But as the war ended, after all the hardship and sadness people longed for cheerful moments and the building has gradually come to life. It became a “cheerful” hall in every sense.
The Women’s Trade Association would organize every Thursday an artistic event there with poetry, theater plays, and music to support the development of culture, public welfare, and charity activities. My parents would occasionally go there to see a theater play, attend a concert, or to a charity event. I went with them once to a concert, but what I was most curious about was the cinema.
Then one day I saw an ad for a new movie in the newspaper and I recognized it. It was “János Vitéz” (John the valiant) and it was based on an epic poem that we learned about in school. It’s a story of a young shepherd who is forced to leave his home and undergoes adventures as he defeats the villains. As I saw the newspaper ad I knew this was the moment I’d been waiting for. This must be a movie that children can watch as well.
With a child’s enthusiasm, I asked my mother to let me see this one movie. Of course emphasized the fact that it would be beneficial for school as well, as we study this poem and it’s a classic in our literature. My mother talked with my father and soon it was decided, the all family will go to see this movie. There was a week left and I was counting the days. The night before I was so excited I hardly slept at all.
Back then all movies were silent films, though they were not called silent until movies with sound were created. My first movie “János vitéz” was like that, without the sound of the actors speaking, in black and white and actors with funny exaggerated expressions and speedy movements. All we heard was music and the dialogues were written separately between scenes. Nonetheless, it was the day I fell in love with cinema forever. Movies have become to me just as, if not even more important than books. Movies took me to magical places and gave me answers to so many potential situations I’ve never been in. The cinema allowed me to further explore and feed my imagination. And that is probably the main asset of a storyteller.
I’ve seen hundreds, maybe thousands of movies since then and I’ve certainly lost my enthusiasm. I’ve become picky and mostly look for unpredictable stories, for something new and surprising, which is difficult to find. But now, after remembering my first movie experience, I feel curious again and open to exploring just for the fun of it. After all, there is some element of novelty and uniqueness in every story which can serve as an inspiration and as food for the imagination. I’ll get a ticket for Avatar 2 in 3D after all, and I’ll try to watch it through the eyes of the Klárika from 100 years ago. I’m sure she would appreciate it and find it highly entertaining.
Klárika
CYBERNOVELS L'20S 