I can’t recall the titles, but I do remember seeing a few movies at the Mariemont Theater in the early 1970s. I rediscovered the theater just over a year and a half ago when it was one of the relatively few theaters showing a movie (Porcelain War) I wanted to see. I immediately took a liking to the neighborhood theater vibe and made it to a couple more movie showings there before it was abruptly shut down in February of this year. That was pretty depressing, but seeing it storm back to life less than six months later really does make the closing a pretty dim memory.

Even before the theater actually closed, the Village of Mariemont began looking for ways to save this important part of their community. The local group Cindependent was soon involved, and with lots of help from others, the theater was acquired and refurbished.

A Grand Reopening Gala is planned for September 16 that promises to be really special. I won’t be around for that, but I was around Friday for what was billed as a “soft opening”. It wasn’t nearly as soft as I expected. I was pleasantly surprised to see Cindependent mascots Crunchy and Bubs greeting attendees and waving at passersby in front of the theater. That’s Cindependent’s Associate Director Dahlia Kressler and an unknown volunteer off to the right.

Inside, is a tasteful indicator that the place is under new management. The concession stand looks familiar, but not the stack of very cool cookies near the entrance to the screening rooms. The cookies were free, and I intended to grab one on the way out, then forgot. They definitely look too good to eat.

Most of the improvements are not obvious on entering. New state-of-the-art projectors and surround sound systems have been installed for all five screens, and some seating has been rebuilt. I was there to see The Brink of War, which turned out to be a pretty good movie. Arriving early meant I had my choice of almost any seat in the place. The second picture shows the view from the seat I chose. About a third of the other seats were filled by the 4:40 start time.

Clearly, things had been picking up while I was watching the movie. A trio I believe was named The Montaverde was entertaining folks in the line that had formed for the evening shows. The theater originally opened in 1938, and several 1938 films were on the agenda for the upcoming gala and the days between now and then. The biggie for Friday night was the Oscar-winning You Can’t Take It with You.