The Lafayette Theatre

I wrote this piece in 2005, when the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, NY was named one of the country's Ten Best Cinema Treasures by the authors of "Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theatres."

According to most scientists, time travel is not possible. Sure, it's been the subject of many classic films -- "The Time Machine" and "Back to the Future" to name a few -- but the physics just do not exist for it to work in reality.

Yet, on any given Saturday afternoon, that's just what many people do when they walk through the doors of the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York.

Owned and operated by Fort Lee Film Commission Chairman Nelson Page, the Lafayette Theater-which offers both first-run and classic films-recalls the golden age of film, when movie audiences bought tickets to theaters, not just movies.

Located off Route 59, The Lafayette Theater is a movie palace in the tradition of the old Loew's theaters, and was recently named one of the country's Ten Best Cinema Treasures by the authors of "Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theaters".

"Everybody wants that nostalgic experience," Page said about his approach to the exhibition of movies.

Nostalgia was one of the driving forces behind Page's restoration of the 80-year-old movie house.

Built in 1924, the Lafayette Theater reflected the era's attention to style and comfort, creating an experience for the moviegoer.

"You know, it's like what Marcus Loew said, 'We sell tickets to theaters, not movies'," Page commented.

Over the years, the Lafayette-with it's 1,000 seat auditorium, and it's ornate chandelier, and opera boxes on either side of the auditorium-fell into disrepair.

Although it was still a destination for many film lovers through the '80's and '90's, the spirit of the Lafayette was no more than a phantom-as tangible as the flickering images projected on the screen.

Page said he still remembers his first visit to the Lafayette in the early '80's. "I saw 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. And I thought 'One day this theater will be mine'. I didn't see what was wrong with it-the bland paint and dirty seats and floors-I saw how it could be."

In 2002 Page's Galaxy Theater Corporation purchased the Lafayette and began the process of restoring the theater to its former glory.

This included repairing the seats, reinstalling a chandelier, and giving the auditorium a new coat of paint.

"When I was going to the theater as a customer, the walls were painted white. There had been sconces on the walls, but no one could tell because they were painted over."

With a classic red, green, and gold color scheme, the Lafayette offers movie audiences what Page calls "opulence on a budget."

Page recalled a recent film festival at the Lafayette featuring Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"We had one of the stars, Gary Lockwood, as a guest speaker. And we were in the lobby, which is-deliberately-plain and unremarkable. I was talking to Gary before he walked into the auditorium and I said, 'Enjoy the theater'. And he looked at me kind of puzzled, then he walked in. A few minutes later, he came out enthusiastically saying, 'Oh my god! Have you seen inside? I can't believe it!'

"That's the effect we're trying to go for. The lobby is subdued, but when you walk into the auditorium, you're blown away. It's like our way of telling a story."

In keeping with the golden age of cinema experience, the Lafayette features live organ music played by organist Jeff Barker before most screenings. Barker also plays during the theater's silent movie festivals.

"Everything I ever wanted to do in this business culminates in the Lafayette," Page enthused. "You have to remember to give the audience what they want. This is a shared experience, and I try to touch all the right notes -- we try to educate, and we try to entertain."

Page attempts to do both through the Big Screen Classics presentations, that feature older movies that appeal to both mainstream audiences and those with more avant-garde tastes. For Page and his staff, preparing these schedules is a balancing act.

"We schedule movies that will appeal to a wide audience-popular, classic movies," Page commented. "But we also try to through in some personal favorites that might be a little more obscure. Like for me, last season it was 'Portrait of Jennie'."

On a recent Saturday, Big Screen Classics screened Orson Welles' film noir classic "Touch of Evil."

"He was some kind of a man," Marlene Dietrich nostalgically emotes before she walks off into the night.

And the Lafayette is some kind of a theater.