One of the best ways of learning Italian is to watch Italian dialogue films with the help of English language sub-titles. There has been a long tradition of cinema going in Italy; television didn’t arrive until 1954 but, although the impact on cinema attendance has been considerable, it has been less drastic than in several other Europeans countries. I can still remember once-long queues outside cinemas in south London with scarlet-coated commissioners. Inside the often beautiful but faded art-deco movie theatres one was guided by usherettes with their torches. During the interval between the ‘A’ and ‘B’ movies the usherettes would appear with trays selling popcorn, Walls ice cream and Kia ora fruit juices. The back rows would be left to the domain of snoggers and courting couples while smokers would be positioned on the left side of the seating. All this is but a dim memory although South London’s Cinema museum which we visited last year brings so much of it back…and in the part of London where Charlie Chaplin was brought up. (Do read my post on this evocative museum at https://longoio3.com/2018/08/26/10670/)
In the UK many of these movie houses have regrettably been demolished while others have been converted into religious centres. (Witness the ‘New Wine Church’ on Woolwich, formerly a futuristic thirties Odeon – I still remember seeing ‘Titanic’ for the first time there). In our part of the world there are a handful of cinemas in operation although sadly here too several have been closed down. This is the case with Ghivizzano where we managed to see a Benigni film around 2007.
Cinemas still exist in Barga, Fornaci di Barga and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana but the only way of enjoying the silver screen in Bagni di Lucca is to attend the ‘Cineclub’ in the borough library on Thursdays at 9.15 PM. Bagni may have had a cinema once (I suspect it was in the Teatro Academico) but the Cineclub, now in its eleventh year, is an excellent way of making up for this deficiency.
Here is this year’s programme which runs until 12th March. In particular, the films celebrate the birth centenary of the great Fellini besides concentrating on current issues like immigration (5th March) and family relationships.
I leave you to decipher the titles of any English versions of the films. Enjoy!
I always loved the magic of cinema. Tonight on RAI3 is Il Figlio della Pantera Rosa 1993 with Benigni should be fun according to trailers. At Convent School we had our own clubs gardening acting cinema my recollectuins. is 7 Brides for 7 Brothers Gone with the Wind just to mention a few titles. Prior to this my film love was for Cartoons and I remember being brought to Victoria film venue for a treat by various family friends alas the cinema venue is no more as also the one at Heathrow Airport great when waiting for flight arrivals of friends or family. I grew up in this wobder world of celluloid and was even fortunate to have worked in all areas of film for friends. Long may films live despite their sophisticated methods of filming as for example the amazing Dante Inferno interpretation of Franco Zeffirelli that can be enjoyed at the Zeffirelli Museum in Florence.