Welsh Valley Cinema 1930s

Content:
The persona remembers and reminises about going to the cinema, and uses the film to visualise an ideal lifestyle. He becomes involved with the film but when the film finishes he has to return to his mundane lifestyle.

Theme:
- Escaping, wanting to become someone else, comparing his poor lifestyle to the one in the film
- Dreams and memories maintain an important part in this poem.

Analysis:
- 'Palace of the slums' suggest that the cinema is placed in a run down area the words 'pit' and 'darkness' also suggest this.
- 'The thrill' suggests that they are amazed by this and something so simple could be so fascinating this could be because they live in poverty.
- ' It rose' and 'boasting' suggest that the cinema 'contrasts' with the poor conditions that surround it, the cinema stands above everything else.
- 'gaudy-bright, changing colours' enchanting, magical, new technology, takes his breath away so much that it gives him 'musical asthma'
- 'When the Broadway Baby Says Goodnight it's Early in the Morning' quote from the Gold Diggers of 1935, lyrics from a song called Lullaby of Broadway.
- 'sank disappear, a dream underground.' the reality of these peoples lives sink and disappear they sink when they watch the film but they also sink and disappear when the film has finished because they have to return to the reality of their lives. The cinema is a 'dream underground' and people find their hidden dreams.
- '(shoeless feet on the mecca carpet)' could suggest that the cinema has become a place of worship, some kind of paradise, on the other hand could suggest that people are too poor to afford shoes.
- 'poor ragged Goldilocks dab away her glycerine tears' these tears aren't genuine or pure, fairytales were introduced in the cinema which makes their dreams more fake as the cinema, the place where stories are shown is their place of worship.
- '(no flies on Cary, no holes in his socks)' Cary was a famous actor and could suggest that the persona is envious of his wealth and fame.
- ' Woodbine smoke swirled' the smoke is very abstract and this could tell us something about the film and his dreams, this quote is also very visual suggesting that the film is his reality when he is in the cinema, escape from reality.
- 'till THE END - of course, upbeat' the people watching the film are happy, until the end in which they have to return to their mundane lives. Now the film has ended so has their dreams.
- From this point the persona becomes more negative this is shown through the use of language such as 'damned fall' 'glum' 'trauma of paradox' the people watching the film become more sad, the reality has now come back to them and they realise that they were fooled by the paradox and thought their lives where the lives of the people in the film.
- 'familiar malice of the dreary' the film was an escape and now they have to return to their 'familiar' mundane lives, boring , repetitive.

Links to the Larkin:
- The Study of Reading Habits
- Love Songs in Age
- Home Is So Sad
- Sunny Prestatyn