A Novelist Writes on the Cinema - A tiny quote from William Trevor's short novel NIGHTS AT THE ALEXANDRA

"People loved the Alexandra. They loved the things I loved myself - the scarlet seats, the lights that made the curtains change colour, the usherettes in uniform. People stood smoking in the foyer when they'd bought their tickets, not in a hurry because smoking and talking gave them pleasure also. They loved the luxury of the Alexandra, they loved the place it was. Urney bars tasted better in its rosy gloom; embraces were romantic there, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers shared their sophisticated dreams, Deanna  Durbin sang. Heroes fell from horses, the sagas of great families yields the riches of their secrets. Night after night in the Alexandra I stood at the back, aware of the pleasure I dealt in, feeling it all around me. Shoulders slumped, heads touched, eyes were lost in concentration.....'

From NIGHTS AT THE ALEXANDRA, by William Trevor, The Harper Short Novel Series, New York, 1987, (p.74)