Dancing For Roger

Here’s a clip of the actress Tilda Swinton valiantly trying to get a theatrre full of 1500 cinema buffs to dance to Barry White in memory of the late, great film critic Roger Ebert. I don’t much care for Barry white’s music, but this is a brilliant way to celebrate the passing of a great journalist, as cinema is not a place for mourning. There is also something wonderful in watchng people of a certain age expected to join in with something that they are really no good at – dancing and showing joy.

Cinema boomed during the Great Depression, and is still a huge source of joy and fascination for millions of us. Even with home stereos, and online films, there is something truly special – religious even – of sitting in a darkened room with a hoarde of strangers to watch magic on a screen.