Film Review

Only In Theaters

A movie that reminded me of the joy and importance of going to the theater.

The Laemmle family has been in film since the beginning, and ‘Only in Theaters’ chronicles this iconic family’s impact on cinema, in particular the impact of the chain of theaters in Southern California bearing their name and run by CEO Greg Laemmle. Opening at the Laemmle family’s Shabbat table, the documentary weaves images and film from their family archives, interviews with influential figures in film, and family celebrations and reminisces with footage that director Raphael Sbarge captured during 24 extraordinarily turbulent months for the revered theater chain.

It’s a wise thing to focus on the theater chain, because the scope of the documentary would be too large should it try to encompass the impact of the Laemmle family — which can’t be overstated. Not only did Carl Laemmle save the lives of 300 German Jews, but he also began an unforgettable legacy of uplifting independent voices in Hollywood.

Carl Laemmle, A German immigrant who came to the United states in 1884, may have started working in retail and dry goods, but it all changed when he first glimpsed a nickelodeon. Laemmle would stand against Edison’s Motion Picture Patents Company. Laemmle’s successful challenge broke Edison’s monopoly of moving pictures.