Braving the Terrorists at the Cable Car Cinema

The Cable Car Cinema in Providence was among a phalanx of independent theaters that screened The Interview after all of the major chains abandoned it, fearful of controversy and terrorist threats generally assumed to emanate from North Korea, where some were unhappy to see their dictator Kim Jong-Un portrayed as an assassinated buffoon.

The first two showings on opening day, Dec 26, had sold out well in advance and the last showing, although starting after midnight, nearly did. At 7pm there was already a line down the block for the 7:30 show. A Providence police car was parked in front of the theater and patrol officers Sion and Levesque were keeping watch over an orderly crowd devoid of North Korean terrorists or any other trouble. According to owner Daniel Kamil, the officers were provided at the initiative of the Providence Police Department, which he said “has been lovely and supportive.”

Enough has been written about The Interview that we assume pretty much everyone reading this knows by now that (SPOILER ALERT) Kim ends up set on fire: first his clothing, then his hair, and eventually his head explodes with parts of his skull blown away. According to news reports, Sony of Japan intervened for the first time ever in a production by their American subsidiary, Sony Pictures Entertainment (formerly Columbia Pictures), because of concerns that the death scene was too graphic. They requested fewer skull fragments. The scene is intentionally grating in a comedy, but by that point in the film worrying about the number of pieces of skull flying around is on par with putting orange traffic cones in front of the Grand Canyon.

Seeing The Interview in a theater is a different experience than watching it alone at home. Because there is no laugh track and the funniest lines are delivered deadpan, watching with at least a group of a few other people vastly improves the viewer’s experience of the film. I had the film available for viewing days earlier but deliberately avoided watching it privately because I wanted to see it for the first time with the sold-out crowd at the Cable Car. A number of audience members approached at random expressed different motivations for attending.

A group eating pizza in the cafe before the show, who gave their names as Ross, Adam and Ben, did not even share the same reasons, although all were fans of past Rogen/Franco movies. Ross said that he wanted to “see it with a crowd, see it with a whole group of people.” Adam observed that it was “way more likely for people online to be victims of hacking than to have the projection room blown up.” Ben, referring to the initial cancellation of the release, said that he was motivated by “freedom of speech, because they tell me I can’t see it.”

Eric and his 14 year-old son Henry were more emphatic about the political consideration. “We came here despite the [negative] reviews to support free speech,” Eric said.

Joe said that he was a “huge fan of Rogen and Franco” and that it is “always better to see movies in person [at a theater]. I’m not going to be bullied into not seeing it.” Melissa, who was with Joe, said that she was “reassured to see the cops.”

Former Providence mayoral candidate Lorne Adrain and his wife, novelist Ann Hood, were also in the audience. Adrain emphasized that he did not criticize the decision by Sony and other theaters to pull the movie “in an abundance of caution,” but Hood disagreed, saying, “Sony made a mistake when they pulled it.” Adrain said, “The truth is we probably would not have come without the controversy. It’s really important to make sure artists can continue to produce art and have venues.” Hood added, “It’s important to make a statement,” and that she had come “to support the Cable Car [showing the film], and it’s great for Providence.”

Owner Kamil said that he was happy to participate in the move by independent theaters nationwide to screen the film. “It was an issue of ‘we are a venue that shows things other people won’t show,’ but I never thought a Franco-Rogen buddy comedy would fit into that category.” Speaking to the audience before a door-prize drawing for a film promotional poster, Kamil said, “It’s a core belief [here] that any government entity or individual can’t threaten what we want to see.”

When his ticket was drawn, the winner of the raffle was so excited that he jumped out of his seat, punched the air, and shouted, “BOOM!” Kamil immediately quipped, “Don’t say ‘Boom.’”