The Current Cinema: Cinevangelist: A Life in Revival Film

Matt Barry’s production of film historian and exhibitor George Figgs is a fascinating look at a man to whom cinema has always been of great importance. Figgs discusses his childhood experiences at the movies, how film became central to his existence, and takes us on a journey that leads him to Baltimore’s underground film scene of the 60s, the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge during the 70s, managing Baltimore’s Charles Theater in the 80s, and finally owning and operating the Orpheum Cinema during the 90s.

Figgs sits comfortably at a piano in a small room, surrounded by movie memorabilia covering the walls around him, his gestures causing his elbow to hit the piano keys as he tells his stories. George Figgs was a first born child who was coddled by his beloved grandfather until his sudden passing, which caused Figgs’ mother to have a breakdown. Put into the care of an older female cousin, she would bring him to the movies several times per week. Figgs recalls how his real world had been destroyed and how the fantasy of the movies took its place.

A restaurant filled with “hippies and leftists” was converted into a makeshift projection room where alternative cinema – movies that rested outside the mainstream – were made available to interested diners. Figgs recalls how, on a whim, several producers, including Roger Corman and Samuel Arkoff, picked up the distribution rights to Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers,” and the massive profit the film enjoyed showed distributors that there was a solid niche audience for foreign films.

Figgs goes on to discuss how revivals in cinema distribution resulted from interested parties wanting to see movies like “Freaks” and “M” on the big screen as they were intended to be seen, not on a television screen, or, later, on an iPhone. This has sustained film exhibition, at least in the bigger cities.

Filmmaker Barry wisely turns the camera on and lets Figgs talk, as he is a cheerful, insightful, engaging speaker whose narrative remains fascinating and amusing throughout. While he centers on a specific area, his memories and anecdotes can effectively represent the nation-wide interest in film over several periods since the late 1960s.

“Cinevangelist: A Life in Revival Film” is currently available for rent or purchase at this link: Cinevangilist. It is most passionately recommended to all libraries, research centers, and cinephiles.