Sir, - Why are modern multiplex cinemas so noisy? Am I alone in deploring the cinematic trend nowadays to place amplifiers all around the auditorium so that film-goers are literally bombarded with noise?
I went to see the film Castaway the other night in the Liffey Valley Centre, expecting to be entertained and soothed in equal measure by the sound of waves lapping gently against a Pacific shore. Far from it. The film features a plane crash so realistic that, as someone who shares a fear of flying with the non-Flying Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp, I almost felt as if I was on the plane myself. Even after the crash the gratuitous noise continued unabated.
This over-amplification of noise in cinemas to the point where it bears no relation to the real thing is part of the trend towards sensationalism and what the Americans call "dumbing-down" in the media and entertainment world generally. It certainly is extremely off-putting to anyone whose sensibilities are used to entertainment of a more refined nature. In future, I'll stick to the theatre. - Yours, etc.,
Joe Patton, Hillcrest Walk, Lucan, Co Dublin.