Riches of the Indies

By Laura Loh

Daily Bruin Contributor

Last week, the Regent Theatre played “28 Days” and
the Plaza showed “The Flintstones in Viva Rock
Vegas”.

But that’s not the kind of fare these two Westwood movie
theaters were originally intended to show when they were built by
the Laemmle arthouse group in 1966. Operated these days by Mann
Theaters, the Regent and Plaza play mainstream movies like their
competitors in the Westwood area.

“I built the Regent and the Plaza when there had not been
any new theaters in Westwood Village for 30 years,” said
Robert Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theatres. “In those
days, foreign films were a big part of the art scene in
Westwood.”

Today, Laemmle is the only Los Angeles-based theater chain that
exclusively plays non-Hollywood films. Since Max Laemmle founded
the business in 1938, Laemmle Theatres has been at the heart of the
L.A. film scene.

In the early years of film, Laemmle played general appeal
Hollywood films. But in the 50s, with the successful importation of
European films by the likes of Truffaut and Bergman, Laemmle turned
into an arthouse that showed American independent films and foreign
films.

Robert, who took over the family business from his father Max,
laments the fact that today’s movie fans seek thrills rather
than intellectual stimulation from the films they watch. He
remembers a time when movies provided enjoyment well beyond two
hours of screen time.

“Back in the 60s, the topic of conversation was,
“˜Did you see the new Truffaut film?'” he said.
“And then you’d sit there and talk for hours about
it.”

Robert’s son, Gregory, the third generation to join the
family business, can relate to the average movie fan’s
enjoyment of Hollywood films. “I like popcorn movies,”
he said. “But there are times when I’m really tired of
popcorn movies and I want something better.”

By spending his college years at UC Berkeley haunting a
repertory theater that showcased international art films, Gregory
developed an open-minded approach to film that is at the heart of
his family’s business.

Recently, Laemmle has been showing foreign gems such as
“The Other Conquest,” which was the highest-grossing
movie in Mexico to date, and the internationally praised Japanese
film, “Afterlife.” For those interested in the
non-mainstream film scene at home, Laemmle is currently showcasing
a series called “American Independents 2000.”

The Laemmles have no illusions about the current state of small
films. They know that young movie fans are attracted to big-budget
action films and oblivious to art films. They know that the only
audience for their art films are the aging baby boomers, the ones
who passionately discussed Truffaut in their younger days. And they
know that this audience won’t be around forever.

But the family is not too worried because they see a trend
happening in Hollywood that will ensure their hold on a specialty
niche for some time to come. Ever since the huge success of the
Spanish-language film “Like Water for Chocolate” in
1991, big Hollywood studios have been trying to produce or at least
acquire the distribution rights to the next big non-Hollywood
film.

“It’s gone so far that, in the Spirit Awards, which
are designed to celebrate independent filmmaking, the top prize
goes to “˜Election,’ a film made by Paramount,”
Gregory said.

“It’s an independent film, there’s no doubt
about it. But it’s being made by a studio,” Gregory
continued. “Being John Malkovich,”
“Rushmore,” “Go” and “High
Fidelity” are all recent independent films made by big
Hollywood companies.”

In other words, major studios are turning their attention to
making films in the independent spirit, which cost less to produce
and can sometimes reap great benefits.

“Hollywood has decided that they can’t afford to
make all these big-budget action films. Because every once in a
while, one of these art films might turn into the next
“˜American Beauty,'” Gregory said. “They
can’t ignore it. They can’t leave the field to the
indies. They have to join the fray themselves.”

The big studios’ profit-driven interest in independent
films means that the average movie fan is being exposed to films
other than the formulaic comedies and thrillers that make up the
backbone of Hollywood. And if the average movie fan starts to like
the more thoughtful films, that is good news for Laemmle.

In the meantime, Laemmle is content just to provide a reliable
venue for small filmmakers to show their work. But Gregory said,
wistfully, “I wish I could tell you we were coming back to
Westwood.”

FILM: Discount Laemmle tickets can be purchased at the Central
Ticket Office.