Saturday night at the movies

Scores converged on King George V Memorial Park to relive the days of the mobile cinema Saturday night. (Nigel Browne)

By EZRA STUART | Tue, January 10, 2012 - 8:00 AM

“MOVIE NIGHT” was like the old-fashioned mobile cinema as children and their parents converged on King George V Memorial Park last Saturday for some highly-anticipated entertainment.

Close to 500 people packed the picturesque St Philip excursion spot to watch three movies, which were projected onto a large screen: Meet The Browns, Baby’s Day Out and a William Bud Abbott and Lou Costello comedy.

Parliamentary representative for St Philip, Michael Lashley, who conceptualised the project, said he was so heartened by the response that he has started putting plans in place for a similar event at Easter.

“I couldn’t believe the overwhelming response,” he told the DAILY NATION.

“I saw people with blankets spread on the ground with children, who were eating popcorn, ice-cream and hot dogs, and the long line of cars and people walking in with chairs to see the movie, not just from St Philip, but people from St Peter, St Lucy, Christ Church and St John.”

The feature movie was Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns, which highlights the struggles of a single mother to keep her family intact and steer her son, ironically named Michael, on the right path.

Michael (Lance Gross) threatened to sell drugs after his father said he was not supporting him, but his mother emphatically warned him of the pitfalls of doing so. He eventually decided against taking that route and was rewarded with a basketball scholarship.

The lesson to be learnt from the movie is that no matter how difficult life is you should never give up as something good will come to help you in the long run.

Lashley said the event was another indication that some activities in Barbados can be decentralised.

“We started the concept in 2010 on a small scale and we got a very good response. We decided this year to go on a larger scale. Some people from the private sector came forward and made a contribution while some community-minded people came and gave of their services free,” he noted.

“If you have a lighting ceremony in Bridgetown and the people from St Philip or St Lucy for that matter cannot get there and there is a facility like King George Park, then why can’t we have a lighting ceremony there?” he asked.

He said no alcohol was sold to patrons at the event, with just juices and other soft drinks available.

“We wanted to create an atmosphere for the family and depict the importance of family life, the structure, unity and positive community spirit. We had a lot of children there, so we didn’t think it was fitting to have alcohol on sale in that setting,” Lashley pointed out.