Welsh Valley Cinema (1930)

'Welsh Valley Cinema' is set in, what seems to be a 1930's slums. The cinema seems to be named 'The Palace' but this could also be a contrast because it's found in the 'slums.'  The poem is about the working class whom wait in the "unseen shaft of darkness" waiting for the film to begin.
Going to the cinema brought huge amounts of excitement "thrill" "fairground sight" "carnival" all give a sense of fun and happiness. Abse uses colour imagery by the "changing colours" and the people in the crowd are left breathless by the "musical asthma"

The cinema brought everyone together and the idea that the film "sank to disappear, a dream underground" perhaps symbolises that the audiences dreams are being shown by the films- but become unreachable. Abse uses "gobbing silicosis" to describe the way they breath, the miners have bad breathing due to the dust in the pits. The audience are describe as "observed a miracle" this could imply they have never seen anything like it before, therefore to them its an ideal life and would be a miracle for them to have. Abse uses dreamlike fantasy's both "Goldilocks" and "dab away her glycerine tears" perhaps show a fairy-tale, that dreams are often unrealistic, also dabbing away the tears also could show fake.

The last stanza shows the harsh reality. " woodbine smoked swirled on" the idea that everyday life carries on and that everything was good, "till THE END" when the film finishes it brings back the harsh reality. "Damned fall" everyone exits the cinema to the "familiar malice of the deary, unemployed, gas- lamped street" back to their everyday working class lives. The cinema in this poem I feel offers hope and an escape from reality and in 1930 that is what this type of entertainment offered.
I feel this poem links to Larkin's, "Sunny Prestatyn" because the girls in the posters offered their audience an escape as does the cinema. Both show the idea of the harsh truth of reality that is offered covered by glorified object (posters, film.) It could also link to "Essential Beauty" as negativity was covered by more glorified aspects. The miners in 'Welsh Valley' suffer from poor breathing form the pits but they describe it as "musical asthma."