Outdoor Movie in the City

"I'll tell you one thing... Fred Darling." The last syllable echoed as the sound bounced from one highrise to the next around Union Square. It is one of the many lines made famous by Holly Golightly played by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's.

I think I've seen this movie at least three times but the Salvadorean and I , with a couple of friends from church, went to see it again at the outdoor movie presented by the SF Neighborhood Theatre Foundation. My friends brought extra blankets for cover on top of our layers of clothing in case the temperature drops but the weather was unseasonably warmer and less windy that evening. Some brought their own folding chairs while others sat on their thick mats. Except for those people wearing a sweater with the San Francisco logo and name stitched on it, I couldn't tell which ones are locals and which ones are tourists from the crowd. The turnout was bigger too compared to last year's. It must have something to do with the fact that 'Tiffany's' is a more popular movie compared to last year's 'Bullitt'.

The one in Dolores Park is a whole new scene where the crowd is composed of locals who live in the Mission, Castro, Noe Valley and as far as Glen Park. The film shown was 'Best in Show' and as expected, pet owners brought theirs so dogs of different breeds were mixed in the crowd. The popcorn stand was also selling dog treats. We got separated from our church friends because we came in late and where they were seating at was already too crowded. We sat next to a tree with baloons. Groups of different age groups brought food, drinks, and blankets as if going to a picnic. The Salvadorean and I brought hot chocolate and cookies. I had to change from one position to another because my back was sore from tennis that morning. From where we were waiting for the MUNI train, we could see a few groups decided to camp out on the park after the movie.

These local events make San Francisco seems so provincial to me. Where I grew up in the Philippines, we used to have a similar outdoor movie that starts one week before Easter and featured 'The Seven Last Words'. I remember one time a film was cut short because of the impending rain. In Northern California, the summers are always guaranteed free of rain so outdooor events such as these are perfect.