Nearly 63 years after its conception, the drive-in theater stands as one of America’s last great icons. Filmmaker Jon Bokenkamp leads his ragtag crew across the American West, in search of the last remaining drive-in theaters.
The drive-in theater represents an entire era of American culture ranging from the space race and the automobile to the emergence of the teenage and movies like Beach Blanket Bingo. But now, in the age of the multiplex and bottled water, the drive-in theater is nearly gone… it’s a dinosaur. With hopes of better understanding the past, filmmaker Jon Bokenkamp leads his ragtag crew across the American West. Using drive-in theaters as their map, these four young men search for a simpler time. Talking to those who built and lived the drive-in theater, they give a true picture of what the era of the outdoor theater was all about. Whether you have ever been to a drive-in or not, still frequent a remaining one, or simply recall with fondness those starry nights of popcorn and two-bit love, you’ll find After Sunset to be a unique new film about one of the great icons of 20th-century America.
Featuring interviews with director John Carpenter, author Michael Wallis, Hollywood movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff (producer of Beach Blanket Bingo), and satirist and social critic John Bloom (aka Joe Bob Briggs).
Reviews
“A wonderful evocation of a distinct piece of Americana.” – Leonard Maltin, film critic
“A trip to make any boomer who grew up in the back seat…wistful as all get-out.” – Chris Willman, writer for Entertainment Weekly and the LA Times
“…downright inspiring.” – LA Reader
“Four buddies embark on a whirlwind nostalgia trip to locate drive-in movie theaters. Interviews with theater owners, filmmakers, and others augment the contemporary and vintage footage of outdoor theaters from California and Texas to Nebraska. Despite some haphazard organization, this fast-paced video is a fond remembrance of drive-ins in their heyday.” – Booklist
“Eighty -three percent of the nation’s drive-in theaters have closed in the past 40 years. AFTER SUNSET interviews the owners of some of the survivors, none of whom will make much money at it but all of whom seem to enjoy the sense of community their theaters provide. Director John Carpenter, critic Joe Bob Briggs, and author Mike Wallis discuss the nature of the movies shown, along with the ambiance and social dimensions of drive-ins.” – Library Journal
“In 1956, the American landscape boasted some 5,000 drive-ins; today, we have 837. Young filmmaker Jon Bokenkamp interviews John Bloom (a.k.a., drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs), John Carpenter (whose films, such as Escape From L.A., are tailor-made for the drive-in sensibility), Hollywood movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff ( producer of the legendary Beach Blanket Bing, among other drive-in classics), and a host of die-hard drive-in owners across America. …After Sunset does have some wonderful moments… ” – Video Librarian
Details
LENGTH: 1 x 46 Minutes
FORMAT: Special
CAMERA: 16mm
INTERNATIONAL TRACK: Yes
TEXTLESS: No
CLOSED CAPTIONS: No
ASPECT RATIO: 4:3
PRODUCTION YEAR: 1996
RELEASE YEAR: 1996
SUPPLIER: Jon Bokenkamp
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
RIGHTS TERRITORY: Worldwide
