Sir, – Further to Chris McCormack’s reference to the Screen cinema in his piece on Dublin’s disappearing venues (“Dublin’s disappearing venues: A promised 500-seat theatre is shrouded in mystery”, Culture, July 22nd), your less young readers will recall a time when the main feature in cinemas was preceded by one or more “shorts”. That made it incumbent on cinema management to highlight in its advertising the start time for the main event.
One morning in the 1990s I was walking past the Screen when my attention was arrested by advertising for one of Danny Boyle’s films. Management no doubt intended that the signage outside should read “A Life Less Ordinary Film 8.15″. But the compositor had had his or her way and, in place of useful but dull information, offered a colourful critique: “A Lifeless Ordinary Film 8.15″. – Yours, etc,
PAT O’BRIEN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.