As we grope for comfort and meaning in a cruel and baffling world, we grasp for even the slightest hint of assurance that our cherished social values remain intact. Oh, for those simpler times when clean-cut heroes in crisp white hats dodged a thousand bullets to vanquish a grubby bad guy with a single decisive blow (after a temporizing sermon, of course). Nowadays, the moral signposts seem more elusive. Yet, while others searched far and wide for telling symbols, in the past year Washington movie buffs found four clear signs that the social order thrives and that honor indeed shall prevail.
Year after year, far worthier theaters arose and vanished, yet somehow the Janus endured, striving mightily throughout two generations to thwart the artistry and invention of the international creative community with unconscionably shoddy exhibition. At long last, the Janus abused its last patron and finally shuttered its sullied doors. The construction site replacing it surely is one of the most stiking improvements Dupont Circle has seen in decades. The demise of the Janus was a slender sign, perhaps, but long overdue and welcome proof that evil ultimately must perish.
