Oakland Art Murmur; Rebecca at the Paramount

I spent last Friday evening in Oakland, starting off with the Art Murmur open galleries art walk. We were lucky to have a break in the rain, & the galleries were filled with a young, artsy crowd, enjoying the buzz & free wine. There were too many people for me to actually enjoy the art, but it is a fun & busy atmosphere in a colorful neighborhood. The show spills out into the street. With great fanfare, a man on the sidewalk uncovered big boxes of donuts with organic ingredients.

I cut my art walk short in order to attend movie night at the nearby Paramount Theater. This was another well-attended event, & that huge theater was almost full. The line to get in was a little like going through airport security, as the theater staff confiscates customers' water bottles. I was a guest of John Marcher, but the evening is a recession-busting $5. Besides a classic movie, you get entrance into that plush art deco setting, live organ music, a newsreel, a cartoon & the Dec-O-Win, an audience favorite in which we all get a chance to win valuable prizes from local businesses. That's at least 3 hours of fun!

I had never seen Hitchcock's Rebecca before, so I had the pleasure of experiencing the gothic twists & turns of the plot along with the characters. I was never convinced of any romantic passion between Laurence Olivier & Joan Fontaine. I suppose we're supposed to look to the malevolent Mrs. Danvers for that aspect of the story. I see that the Paramount will be showing The Lady from Shanghai later in the month, & I'm tempted to return for that.