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By Bobby Tanzilo Managing Editor E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Bobby Tanzilo

Published Oct. 18, 2007 at 10:13 a.m.

Tags: oriental, landmark, kubrick, clockwork orange, bongo man, land of left behind

Now that the Oriental turns 80 -- or more accurately, turned 80 in July - it's got me thinking about when I moved to Milwaukee nearly 25 years ago and the Oriental was an oasis (which means I've been an Oriental patron for almost a third of its lifetime!).

That was back in the day when the Oriental was one, big, astonishing and breathtaking theater and the same words could be used to describe its printed schedule, which listed different films for nearly every day or every couple days.

There were themed double features -- like "Cat People" and "The Man Who Fell to Earth" which both featured David Bowie, for example -- and week-long events, such as a marathon of Kubrick movies.

Buying a 12 screening pass for $20 or whatever it was felt like a quick and easy way to a film education.

I saw obscure music movies about reggae music and punk, I saw all the Kubrick films, I saw "Metropolis," I saw Italian realist films, I saw risque French films, I saw "A Clockwork Orange" more than once.

While I don't question the changes made at the Oriental in the intervening years -- after all, the world and the movie business have changed -- I do miss the days when you could go in, bask in the unaltered splendor of Milwauke's last surviving movie palace and see some of the world's quirkiest movies. Unless you waited a day too long, in which case you'd have to see another of the world's quirkiest movies.

4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by hardgeminiguy on Oct. 20, 2007 at 7:02 p.m. (report)

at the 80th birthday party for the oriental the owner announced that $200,000 will be spent further restoring the building. the theatre looks magnificent now but would look better if only the management would replace the auditoriums burnt out light bulbs. one can notice MANY burnt out bulbs in the ceiling decor. must have someone assigned weekly or at least monthly to check and replace burnt out bulbs. one of americas best 10 theatres deserves no less. thank-you--jerry johnson

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Posted by EliCash on Oct. 18, 2007 at 6:15 p.m. (report)

I hear what you're saying, though I don't have those experiences so it still remains a very cool theatre in my opinion. "Stop Making Sense" WOULD have been really cool to see in the theatre. ...just go see "Darjeeling Limited" (starting Friday) to make up for the lack of quirkiness...can't wait to see that (at the Oriental)

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Posted by littletinyfish on Oct. 18, 2007 at 6:02 p.m. (report)

Man, if I think the Oriental is great (in terms of the current landscape of movie houses these days) I can't imagine how spectacular it must have been.

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Posted by Milly on Oct. 18, 2007 at 2:10 p.m. (report)

I miss the old Oriental, too. I loved "Stop Making Sense" at midnight on Friday nights, and all the '80s concerts I saw there, including Howard Jones and Tears for Fears. I also loved the Oriental movie schedule from back then -- despite the very little white space.

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