The Magic of the Movies

After our interview with Tumbleweeds back in November, we started thinking about other small businesses whose local stories we could share. A common thought amongst all of us was Niantic Cinemas. A few months ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Peter E. Mitchell, whose family owns the movie theater that anybody in East Lyme has come to know and love. You have probably seen his face behind the booth, selling tickets and greeting everyone with kindness: sending the message that everyone is welcome at the movies.

Niantic Cinemas was such a big part of my childhood growing up here in East Lyme, as I know it has been for others. I remember the days of attending classmates’ birthday parties at the Cinemas; they had reserved a whole theater for us. I remember seeing big films with my parents. Then as I got older, the movies became a hangout spot for me and my friends.

I became a lover of this place and film in general. I was enchanted by the cinema’s ability to unite people and tell a story. So, watching Niantic Cinemas shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic was difficult and I couldn’t help but worry about them. Back in March when I interviewed Mr. Mitchell, the Covid-19 situation was different, and there were still mask mandates, concerns about vaccine mobilization, and more. So I simply hoped that sharing the story of the theater would inspire people to come out and show their support when it had a reopening date. Well, that date has now come: on June 25th, Niantic Cinemas will reopen. I hope that we as a community can come together to make it a grand reopening. Why, you may ask? Well, you can read for yourself the story of cinema, and the valuable place it holds in our society, in the words of Peter Mitchell himself:

Q: When did this movie theater open, and do you know anything about the history of the cinema in town before that? (I heard that they used to film Western movies here in town).

A: The cinema opened for business March 9, 1950, playing “All the King’s Men” starring Broderick Crawford. This movie came out in early November 1949. Movies played lengthy runs in cinemas back then as that was the only place you could see them. Television broadcasts of movies came along in the mid 1950s.

The advertisement for the Niantic Theatre's debut back in 1950.

Before the Niantic Cinemas was built, the land on which it currently stands was owned jointly by Socrates Deligeorges, Leonidas Dousis and my grandfather, Peter Mitchell. There was a house on the property which my grandfather lived in. In the early 1930s, he took an extended trip to Greece where he met and married my grandmother Evangelia Panas in a pre-arranged marriage. This was a six month visit. With my grandfather out-of-town so long, the other two partners decided to sever ties. Mr. Deligeorges built a package store and a soda shop in the building which is currently Subway and Anna’s Pearls and Curiosities. He added a six-lane duck pin bowling alley in the rear of the building. Mr. Dousis built a two-story building of shops and offices which still exists today. There was a restaurant and bar where the Bookbarn Downtown is located. The spaces where Olde Red Saltbox is located was the location of many different businesses. The Lymes Times Weekly Newspaper, Olde Mystick Clock Shoppe, Ardonn boutique come to mind, but there were many other businesses.

In the late 1940s, Samuel Cornish, convinced Socrates Deligeorges to build the cinema on the remaining property between their two buildings. Along with Alphonse Dubreuil, the building contractor, the three men jointly owned the cinema.

By the 1970s, “the Niantic” cinema was struggling as a single screen, 700 seat theater. My uncles, George Mitchell and John Kendros along with my father, Terry Mitchell bought the cinema when it came up for sale in 1978. They closed the theater for some modest upgrades, re-upholstering seats, adding a new color scheme throughout the interior and adding a new facade.

The theater re-opened in late December with Ingamar Bergman’s “Autumn Sonata”. This is an excellent drama. A great film on all fronts: well-known director, great acting, strong story and warm cinematography, just beautiful. This was a modest success. The cinema would go on to have its share of triumphs, but it also became increasingly clear we were gambling with the business’s future trying to find the right movie that could put enough people in seats every week. At one point only one movie ran a day. Many cinemas were evolving into twin cinemas. Waterford, Groton, Norwich and Old Saybrook each had two-screen cinemas at this time. When the Olde Mistick Village opened, that complex added a three-screen cinema to the area.

Dick Caulkins, a local contractor, suggested to my uncle the cinema would be a great candidate for subdivision into three auditoriums with the balcony seating becoming its own cozy auditorium. The decision was made to close the cinema in 1979 and conduct a complete overhaul.

Niantic Cinema in 1984.

Q: Why is it important/ beneficial for us to have a movie theater?

A: I think a visit to a cinema can be a healthy form of escapism. It can be a place of great joy and emotion. It is a place meant to immerse oneself in another world and draw attention to people’s lives, joys and struggles. Apart from school, church or the supermarket it is one of the last places where people still congregate. You are having a communal experience when you go out to the movies! I remember when I was 11, seeing “Ghandi” with Ben Kingsley. I can’t remember if it was the fifth or sixth time I saw it, but it stayed for months in Niantic. That night, it played in the upstairs cinema and I was sitting in the aisle as the room was packed. Ghandi declares his Salt March as an act of civil disobedience against British taxation. In one scene he announces the march, in the next he is walking with a few dozen people down the steps from a house in his white loincloth, in the next scene he is seen leading a parade of hundreds through a field and this group merges with another mass of marchers. The music swells and the power of witnessing thousands of people in a sea of white loincloths, a flooding river of humanity dressed in white merging with another stream… his conviction reverberating in the people following him… Well that was like a current of energy that swept the room. I remember feeling it. That is one of the great moments in cinema for me. I remember hearing the gasps of awe in the audience. I will never forget it. The message, the visual, the music, the fragility of this little man leading millions peacefully. Ghandi in real life may have had his many faults, but the cinematic Ghandi, Ben Kingsley created, he became a leader right before our eyes. Amazing!

Q: What is your personal favorite movie and why?

A: Too many to mention here… ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ ‘Missing,’ ‘Central Station,' ‘Au Revoir Les Enfants’ and ‘Heaven’ are a few favorites.

Q: How has the movie theater industry changed over time?

A: We used to think video tapes and home video would kill the cinema, but the business came back. DVDs came out and we thought that would kill business, but it eventually came back. 3D movies made a comeback about ten years ago and now many cartoons are in that format. It suits that format. A lot of adults report motion sickness watching 3D movies, so that fad has largely passed. Movie Pass came out a few years ago under the guise it was putting people back in theaters. Fortunately, its own success was its demise and we outlived that evolution. Now, streaming services have become the norm for watching new content in the last year as the whole world was cautioned to remain safe at home. This is a new issue we are facing.

Q: How has this cinema been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic (do you plan to reopen)?

*Now reopening date is June 25th!

A: Once the restraints are relaxed we think movie theater chains will re-open and the studios might be enticed to offer an exclusive period of time their films are available only in cinemas before landing on streaming services. With tens of thousands of movie screens in the United States, making a movie exclusive to theaters is enticing as studios charge a high percentage of the ticket price, a premium, to lease the movie to theaters the first few weeks of a movie’s run. That can be a lot of money when you look at the worldwide viewing audience. With little if any exclusivity currently, there is little to drive people back to theaters right now. People rarely go out to the movies for the cuisine.

Q: What can people do to help their local movie theaters during these times?

A: Come out to the movies when we re-open! We will have a sign up in our box office and at the entrances: "Per Ledge Light Health District and CDC Guidelines: If you are vaccinated against Covid19, you do not need to wear a face mask. If you are not vaccinated, please wear a face mask."

Q: What do you see for the future of movie theaters? Will places like Niantic Cinema still be valuable?

A: The cinema entered its 71st year on Main Street earlier this month. Looking past this pause in business we have taken due to the pandemic, it is my sincere hope the cinema can remain a gathering place for friends and families to enjoy movies again and have the communal experience we are all missing right now.

As Mr. Mitchell stated, “with little if any exclusivity currently, there is little to drive people back to theaters right now.” However, I hope that time away from the theater due to Covid-19 is enough to provide that drive. Throughout the past year especially, we have been reminded of the need to confront problems and work together to create solutions, but also of the value of escapism in healthy forms. Escapism, when done right, is a worthwhile pursuit that has proven to be beneficial for the human experience. That is why movies thrived during the Great Depression, not failed, and why I believe they will thrive again. A trip to the movies whisks you away from your home, from the monthly fees of countless streaming services. The movies take you to a place where you bond with a room full of people over the emotions portrayed on the screen - over the emotions you relate to, or wish to express in reality. That, to me, is the magic of movies, and I hope we all invite that magic back into our lives come June 25th!

A big thanks to Peter Mitchell for providing thoughtful responses and photos, and being patient in our release of the article as we dealt with end of the year exams and events (APs, prom, graduation). Another special thanks to Joe Couillard, manager of the cinema who has worked with Mitchell for eighteen years. He was the cinema's main projectionist for years, stepping up to become manager after Francelle Dorman's retirement in 2005.

Works Cited

Mitchell, Peter E. Interview. 27 Mar. 2021.

T, Ravee. Niantic Cinemas at night. Oct. 2019. Google Maps, www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x89e610895a79480b%3A0xb8e6ffbf0ade929d!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNk_vPQTZnKh07XjxIDoY5tg0Elyl75Tkab22d9%3Dw426-h320-k-no!5sniantic%20cinema%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipNk_vPQTZnKh07XjxIDoY5tg0Elyl75Tkab22d9&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwih8ZKJiafxAhVSnOAKHciqAZUQoiowG3oECFEQAw. Accessed 20 June 2021.