Welsh Valley Cinema, 1930s

This poem appears to explore the division between reality and fantasy; the cinema symbolises the dream-like imaginations of the 1930s population who were suffering terrible hardships. The 1930s saw a time of great social and economic depression, and the cinema seems to offer a form of escapism in 'Welsh Valley Cinema'.
     The opening stanza presents reality as disappointing and gloomy straight away; the words 'slums', 'pit' and 'darkness' all present the persona's surroundings as morbid and poverty-stricken. This is then juxtaposed with the 'lordly stout' cinema. It is describes as being 'grand...', 'boasting' and 'gaudy-bright' - this language presents the cinema as an almost beacon shining against the dull monochromes of reality. It is clear that the cinema provides a complete contrast to the lives that the viewers are living; it acts as an escape into a world of light and glamour.
     The ending of the second stanza describes the cinema as 'disappear[ing], a dream underground.' This presents the dream-like fantasy of film to be unattainable and unreachable; it is there to watch and observe, but never to keep for your own (the viewers will never own the lifestyles of the characters within the films). The word 'dream' portrays the fact that it is merely a diversion from reality, and it must come to an end eventually when the crowd will be faced once again with reality. This could be a suggestion from Abse that all things pleasurable come to an end, and we must endure the hardships of life with the odd diversion - this gives a very pessimistic tone to the poem.
     A reference is made to 'silicosis' in the third stanza; this appears to be a theme within the poem as Abse also mentions 'ronchi' and 'asthma'. These lung and breathing-related diseases hold connotations of smoking, and could represent many things; one interpretation of these references could be that films glamourised cigarettes and smoking whilst never portraying the dangers (in the 1930s), and so the consequences of smoking on the viewers yet again displayed the fact that their lives would never match up to those shown through the medium of cinema. Another interpretation could be that the diseases symbolise the gruesome harshness of reality, strengthening Abse's point that life is a hardship and will never be dreamlike or film-like. It could also be a depiction of the era; during the 1930s, the damages of cigarettes were not completely known and certainly not as publicised as they are now. This continuation of smoking despite the damages could be portrayed through the phrase: 'And still the Woodbine smoke swirled on'.
     By describing the viewers as 'shoeless' in the third stanza Abse emphasises the poverty which they suffered. This point is strengthened in the last line of this stanza: '(No flies on Cary. No holes in his socks.)' Here he is making a reference to Cary Grant who was a famous actor in the 1930s, and this sarcastic phrase points out how different the film-world is from reality, emphasising again how unattainable it is and how they do not have to suffer the hardships of the viewers - they . There is mention of 'glycerine tears' which suggest the film stars as being almost inhuman, and 'an elegance of chandeliers' depicts the glamour and wealth which the viewers' lives are lacking. This phrase contrasts strongly with the 'flies' and 'holes in ... socks'.
     The final stanza shows 'THE END' of the cinematic production - 'of course, upbeat.' It could be argued that Abse is showing how our minds are filled with images and films of perfect lives, glamour and wealth, but in reality this perfect ending will never come - life is hard and the 'upbeat' endings of films are lies. This links in with two of Larkin's poems which follow similar themes; 'Essential Beauty' and 'Sunny Prestatyn'. The gloominess of reality is depicted with strong descriptive imagery in the closing stanza; the crowd are 'glum' as they troop out into the 'unemployed, gas-lamped street'. He describes them as stepping out into the 'trauma of paradox'; the contradiction of the dreamlike world of cinema and reality is shown through this phrase. The crowd are dreary as they are met once again with reality; there is a tone of pessimistic gloom. He also describes this reality as a 'familiar malice', portraying the fact that this miserable actuality is all too comfortable, as if the persona as those around him have fallen into a depressing routine. The word 'malice' could also suggest that the world is cruel and those inside it intentionally harmful. It could argued that the reference to the 'striking of the small Town's clocks' in the final line is a presentation of death and how it is inevitable - everyone's time is coming, everyone has an individual ticking clock for themselves, and this ends the poem with an extremely pessimistic tone.