Madison gives York a run for its money

SARAH ENGLAND/YH

York Square Cinemas has more than enough problems as it is. The theater has struggled to stay above water with small audiences, scant profits, old film equipment, and—thanks to Showcase Cinemas' control over first-run films in the Greater New Haven area—old movies.

But the little cinema on Broadway may have a new problem now. Once, not too long ago, York Square managed well in spite of these problems by drawing audiences seeking unique art films and foreign films from out of town. But the Madison Art Cinemas in Madison, Conn. opened on Fri., May 21 of this year and have already taken a good part of York Square's former audience. The new theater is now aiming to put Yale staff, faculty, and students in their seats. To add insult to injury, the Madison Art Cinemas, 20 minutes outside of New Haven, are owned and managed by Arnold Gorlick, former manager of York Square.

Gorlick managed the Broadway theater for 24 years until losing his job in late May, 1998, in what he calls a "difficult" break from the place that some moviegoers thought he owned, due to his ubiquitous presence.

"I didn't really see myself working anywhere else," Gorlick said. "I thought I would just sit around and read poetry for a month. That didn't last very long." According to Gorlick, he was approached by several people pitching ideas for new cinemas. Among the plans was one that would have turned the Macy's building near the Chapel Square Mall into a cinema. This fell through because of the uncertain status of the Mall, but Gorlick pointed out that the plan "is still possible for the future." Then an ideal site came to him: Madison. "In a 15-mile radius [around Madison] there are many artistic people, which led me to conclude that this was the place for an art theatre to go."

At this new site, Gorlick created his ideal cinema, which he envisioned as a place where quality alternative films would be presented in an appealing atmosphere. Gorlick's business skills and the location of Madison, situated between major Showcase locations in Milford and North Haven, have not only given him access to films York Square cannot get, they've also generated friendly dealings with Showcase. "They call me up regularly," he said, "We advertise [some of the same movies] together."

Some of the facilities of the two-screen Madison Art Cinemas are usually unheard of outside of major megaplexes—eight channels of Dolby SR surround sound, 11 professional loudspeakers, and infra-red soundtrack heads. Other features, such as four-inch seat cushions and a café-espresso bar with its own label of bottled water (called "Arnold Aqua"), are unheard of in any theater.

Madison Art Cinemas, designed by Vladimir Shpitalnik, DRA '90, have seen quite a bit of ink in local newspapers, and more impressively, in the New York Times—although Gorlick was quick to point out that "they took a bad picture of them." More important to the owner than critical praise, however, is the reaction of his customers, some of whom followed Gorlick from his days at York Square and others who come from as far away as Rhode Island.

Gorlick claims to not regard his days at York Square negatively. He still likes to be remembered, however. "I heard that now, when something goes wrong with the projectors, some people shout `Where's Arnold?' I liked to hear that," he said.

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