The Rialto Theater was built in the '20s. The first full-length film to play on the screen was "The Toll Gate" on August 29, 1920. It was a silent western movie. At the time, the theater had a pipe organ that would accompany the silent films. The Rialto had vaudeville shows every Wednesday. The theater closed in the '80s. It reopened in the '90s and then closed again in 2004. Since then, there has been renovations and it now hosts 200 events and draws over 100,000 patrons annually. The theater foundation is dedicated to preserving the theater and to continue to offer a broad range of performances.
This week at the theater was "Oscar" week.
The documentaries were very emotional. One of the nominations was "Joe's Violin". It was about a drive to donate musical instruments to public schools in New York City. A 91 year old Holocaust survivor Joseph Feingold donated his beloved violin which he purchased at a flee market outside of Frankfurt after WWII. He was a 23 year old Holocaust survivor and he had traded a carton of American cigarettes for the violin. The violin brought back memories of when his family use to sit around and play instruments and sing. Joseph's mother and brother did not survive the Holocaust.
He left for New York and brought the violin with him. He enjoyed playing until his fingers could no longer play. He heard about the drive and he wanted to make a difference. The lucky recipient was a 13 year old girl in the Bronx. Joseph did meet the young lady and she performed for him. She played the song that Joseph's mother use to sing to the family. It brings great joy to Joseph that a new generation is being exposed to the classics.
The other documentaries were "Extremis", which was about an intensive care unit and others that were about refugees and war-torn Syria.
The documentaries were well done. It will be interesting to see which film wins.
And the winner is ............................
2 comments:
This is so touching. Holocaust destroyed the talents of millions of people.
That documentary sounds like one I would like
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