American cinema seen through the windscreen: a journey to the Skyview Drive-In

As the cars begin to line up side by side in front of the large outdoor screens, some people stay in their cars, others open the boot and sit there, whilst still others lay out blankets, cushions and folding chairs. Not far away, children run about amongst the fairground rides, whilst the sound of a slightly out-of-tune guitar adds to the atmosphere. This is the ‘pre-show’ that has been staged weekly for decades at the Skyview Drive-in, one of the last remaining examples of what was once one of the great traditions of American entertainment.

A way of enjoying cinema that never really caught on outside the United States but which experienced a veritable boom there in the 1950s, partly thanks to the boom in the motoring world and the symbiosis between man and car, which is the norm in so many parts of this vast country. The film’s audio is broadcast via FM radio; the kiosk sells all manner of treats that are eaten straight from the car seats whilst the sun sets; people chat and socialise with their neighbours; and, despite the passage of time, everything remains surprisingly similar to the American dream that has also reached us from across the Atlantic through countless TV series and films, from "Grease" to "American Graffiti": as darkness slowly falls, the headlights gradually dim, the scent of popcorn fills the air, and gigantic images appear against the American sky.

The Skyview opened on 8 July 1949, and we were there on the very day of this significant 77th anniversary. A history that keeps it alive to this day, having even survived two tornadoes and making it, in a way, the custodian of a great tradition that continues: this is thanks to the passion of those who work there, the tenacious determination of those who run it, the now loyal audience, and even the curious visitors who go there to soak up a glimpse of pop culture and the American dream. Places like Skyview are more than just a nostalgic curiosity: because in this age of streaming platforms, films watched on mobile phones and large multiplex chains, the drive-in instead allows everyone to enjoy an experience that is collective, yet one to be savoured from the comfort of one’s own private space. Everyone in front of the same screen, under the same sky: and American cinema, perhaps, is not just what appears on the screen, but above all what happens around it.