25.3.09

Studio 28



The oldest Paris cinema still in operation is called “Studio 28” and you can find it in Montmartre, rue Tholozé.

This narrow street gives a look on “Moulin de la Galette”, one of the two remaining Montmartre windmills. The name “Moulin de la Galette” has been given much later and in the meantime it had become a cabaret (“ginguette”), but originally this mill was called “Blute Fin” and dates from 1622. It’s now on private property so you cannot reach it. The other remaining smaller windmill, “Radet” has been slightly moved and now sits more or less on top of a close-by restaurant with the name “Moulin de la Galette”. Both mills used to belong to the same family. There is a long story about the mills, the family and the origin of the name “Moulin Rouge” which I have already talked about in previous posts (1, 2). The “Moulin de la Galette” has been painted by a great number of artists, including van Gogh, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Signac, Picasso, van Dongen and perhaps especially by Utrillo.

This is thus rue Tholozé, as it looks today and as it was seen by Utrillo in 1913.
Some street views.
Let’s now come back (at last) to the cinema theatre, “Studio 28”. It was thus created in 1928 as an avant-garde cinema. In 1930 it became famous; a film by Luis Buñuel, “L’Age d’Or” ("The Golden Age"), co-written with Salvador Dalí, premiered here. A few days later a fascist group threw ink on the screen, assaulted members of the audience and also destroyed art by Dalí, Miró, Man Ray, Tanguy, Ernst (who actually also had a role in the film)... exposed in the lobby. The film was then soon banned after the Board of Censors had reviewed it. You had to wait some 50 years before it was again released. "Studio 28" survived, but with new owners. In 1950, Jean Cocteau and Abel Gance became “godfathers” of the place and Cocteau (painted by Modigliani below) designed the lampposts that you can still find in the theatre. This is also the cinema where Amélie Poulain liked to go on Friday evenings.
The cinema can only seat some 170 people, but it’s a nice place, perfectly equipped technically. A mixture of recent and avant-garde films is shown, there is a nice little bar and the lobby is still used for art exhibitions. The guest book is impressive and some actors and directors have left their footprints.


... and the trees are slowly getting green, even if yesterday the sky was a bit grey and the temperature could have been higher!

51 comments:

Cezar and Léia said...

Wow 1622!!!! This respectable grand grand grand father of our cinemas is working very well!I'm a "typical"fan of cinema.Surely I prefer to appreciate the 7th art face to screem instead of DVD at home ( or nowadays that BlueRay ).Nice to know that people from there are keeping so important patrimony.
By the way...about my piano...(Why did you remember me about!!!Just kidding! LOL ), but since last Sunday I have been obsessed with listening classic music all day long, especially Bach and Debussy!).
Snif snif snif...I want my piano back! :-)
Great Post!
Many thanks!
Léia

Shionge said...

Oh WOW.....those good old days..hmmm...where's the peacock :O

(Just kidding ;D)

Catherine said...

Un petit air de nostalgie qui le vaut bien. Le plus vieux cinéma de Paris ! Souhaitons qu'il soit préservé à ce titre. Il est magnifique, intime et loin d'être impersonnel comme les usines à cinéma où l'on s'entasse aujourd'hui.
J'ai bien regardé mais je n'y étais pas ce jour là.
(Et en plus, tu trouves un mannequin assis sur le perron d'un immeuble ! Vraiment trop de chance avec tes photos.)
Et celui de Lelouch ? C'est pour demain : )

hpy said...

Je ne voudrais pas le faire, mais je crois que je vais le faire malgré moi, et t'envoyer le mauvais temps que nous avons, avec son froid, son vent et sa flotte! Un vrai temps pour retourner au cinéma.

lyliane six said...

J'y suis allée 3 jours de suite, pas au studio 28, mais au ciné d'Evreux.
Gran Torino et Slumdog millionnaire superbes! et the last chance of love bien mignon, mais qui donne de l'espoir aux retraités.....
Et toi qu'as tu vu?
J'aime beaucoup les peintures d'Utrillo.

alice said...

Jusqu'à présent, le soleil m'incitait davantage à me promener sur la plage qu'à m'enfermer au cinéma mais ce matin il fait tout gris...(merci Hpy!). Donc, pourquoi pas? On joue quels films en ce moment sur la Butte? Tu me gardes une place, Peter?

Olivier said...

ce quartier est magnifique, le coin des artistes...Je ne connaissais pas ce cinéma, mais il est superbe, avec ces lustres et encore son rideau rouge.

claude said...

C'est intéressant que je ne cnnaissais pas ce théâtre. Mais j'ai bien reconnu le Modiglinai.
Bien la comparaison du Moulin de la Galette d'avant et de maintenant.

Bettina said...

Love your photos and what a great subject for the post, and it's so lovely to see spring is coming to Paris.

Parisbreakfasts said...

Nice to see Cinema 28 sans renovations!
Merci

Adam said...

Great photos again and a very interesting study.

Don't think I'm looking to pick holes, but where did you get the information about it being the oldest cinema still in operation in Paris? According to my notes, the Max Linder Panorama dates from 1912 and the Latina from 1913. Both have been quite heavily renovated and renamed since, so perhaps the Studio 28 mean the oldest 'untouched' cinema which has kept the same name!

Cergie said...

Ah ! ah ! ah ! Je reconnaissois ce coin là !
Mais je connaissoyais pas ce studio, cela change des multiplex(-es ?).
Une ambiance très intime.
Tu as mis tes pas dans les empreintes de gens mythiques, tu as posé tes lèvres sur le même bock de bière ! Mais qu'as tu vu comme film ? "Volt" avec tes petits enfants ?

Anonymous said...

I saw a familiar face among the pictures who comes to my blog and visits. From time to time.

Jessica said...

It sure hasn't changed much in all this time!

Blind Fly Theater said...

Thank you Peter for the beautiful introduction to Studio 28... Seems like a more intimate, colorful, and interesting cousin of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles... I'll have to watch Amélie again. Also, the juxtaposition of Utrillo's 1913 painting with today's photo is stunning; how I'd like to experience that temporal transportation in person. Thanks for the stunning collage technique of your blog -- very stimulating!

Marie Reed said...

This is a magical post! Pure eye candy! I know where I'l be headed the next time I'm in Paris... well that's this weekend actually!

Mandy said...

Oh dear - your blog has done exactly what a travel blog should do and that is make me want to visit! In fact, France is steadfastly creeping up my to-visit list because of you! Well done!

Thérèse said...

Rideaux rouges dedans, dehors: superbes.
Il n'est pas facile pour les studios d'art et d'essai de survivre dans cette jungle de méga salles.
Qu'as-tu vu?

Dina said...

Very nice, I like old streets and the character that they bring with them. Also very interesting information. Thanks for always stopping at my blog and leaving comments.

Anonymous said...

Hello Peter this is my first visit to your site, and I am finding out things about about Paris, which I hadn't known,even after living in France for 20 years! The pictures tell their own story!
I am English and live two and a half hours south of Paris. My blog tells my story about how and why I came to live in a french Chateau.

Alain said...

On voudrait savoir ce que tu es allé voir. Volt ou Miss Pettygrew ?

Eddy said...

Superbe post d'un quartier que je connais bien Peter...
A force de prendre en photo les mêmes endroits que les miens, on va bien finir par se bousculer dans la rue !!!
Heureusement que certains cinémas Parisiens subsistent encore à l'ogre des complexes cinématographiques des grandes chaines.

Anonymous said...

bon je joins ma demande à celles déjà exprimées plu shaut : qu'es tu allé voir ? de l'ancien ou du nouveau ?
En tous cas c'est un sacré monument culturel que ce cinéma là : sans lui peut-être que le surréalisme serait différent....

Virginia said...

Ahhhh! I thought you were headed to the Ciné 13 Thèatre in Montmartre! Of course you have something new to share and I love the Modigliani. As if you don't find beautiful things to photograph and show us every week! I do however, appreciate your kind comments Peter.
V

krystyna said...

You get only great posts and shots, Peter!
Thank you for your generous comments. Btw. about "convince you"... I think that rather you convince me to buy camera and start to take pics.
I'm thinking about it.

Take care!

rauf said...

oh Peter !, along with the pictures you are giving the essence of Paris and i can smell it as well.

All the old theaters of my city of Chennai are gone and took away some fond memories of my younger days. And the charm of watching movies in a theater is gone as well. Shopping complexes have come up in their place as shopping fever is ever on the rise. The present theaters are a part of shopping complexes with mandatory parking space, very business like and i don't feel like stepping in to any of them, mighty expensive too, can't afford the ticket Peter.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Oh Peter quel charme ancien dans le billet d'aujourd'hui. On est dans Amélie Poulain, complètement !

Ta première photo est superbe !

J'aime beaucoup aussi ton mannequin noir assis devant la porte bleue : tu aurais dû lui consacrer une place à part, il le méritait !

Beau ciel bleu mais mistral fort chez nous. Nous aussi nous attendons que les températures montent. Et les platanes devant chez moi sont bien moins avancés que les arbres que tu montres ici.

Anonymous said...

I never really explored Montmartre on my visits to Paris, apart from the usual touristy pilgrimage up that long hill - so much to discover alas. This post reminds me about the French connection with cinema and how unique it seems to be. Going to the cinema and producing films are different things. But in fact I suppose all countries produce filmmakers that express their nationality more clearly than in fine art? Or am I imagining things? You can pin a flag on many film makers more easily than on artists.

I like the idea of being able to see films in theatres like this where they were first intended to be shown. It won't change the film of course once the lights go out, but it is a different experience for the viewer to think about. A bit like seeing Tintorettos in the churches they were painted for instead of rubbing shoulders with others in a gallery somewhere

EMNM said...

Picasso, Dalí, Buñuel sound very spanish this place.

Interesting post as usual

Lara said...

good to still have a small traditional cinema operational! in Romania they went bankrupt because of the big multiplexes...

PeterParis said...

Léia:
Sorry about the piano! I will not do it again! :-)

Shionge:
If you come here I will show you the way to the peacocks! :-)

Catherine:
Pour Ciné 13 et Lelouch, I have been there of course, last time in December to see a fantastic performance by Sara Forestier. I didn't bring my camera. Maybe one of those days. :-)

PeterParis said...

hpy:
Toujours aussi aimable! :-)

Lyliane:
Je sais que tu vois (presque) tous le film. C'est bien! :-)

Alice:
Bien sur que je te garde une place, mais tu peux me donner une date? Ca devient un peu cher de le faire pour tous les jours et toute les séances! :-)

PeterParis said...

Olivier:
Il faudrait que tu reviennes un peu plus souvent sur Paris, y compris le week-end. Tu vas finir par connaitre NYC mieux que Paris! :-)

Claude:
On découvre tous les jours! :-)

Bettina:
Soon you can see it "in nature"! :-)

PeterParis said...

ParisBreakfasts:
Maybe a painting of it? :-)

Adam:
Different sources (google), including discussion with the bartender at Studio 28. I believe that this cinema has stayed rather close to what it was (the Cocteau lampposts were added 1950), whereas e.g. Max Linder has been completely rebuilt and has only the address and the name from its origin.

Cergie:
Je n'ai pas vu le film! J'étais pressé. J'ai payé l'entrée (et un verre de rouge au bar), pris les photos... et suis reparti à mes rv!

PeterParis said...

Oldmanlincoln:
I wonder who that could be? :-)

Jessica:
Your are right! :-)

SparkleMirror:
I think this one is also a bit more "intimate" than the Grauman's! Thanks for your kind words! :-)

PeterParis said...

Marie Reed:
Nice visit! ... and thanks for your visit here! :-)

Emm:
These were nice words to hear! :-)

Thérèse:
Pour le film, voir ci-dessus ma réponse à Cergie! :-)

PeterParis said...

Dina:
It's always a pleasure... and thanks for coming here! :-)

Delphine:
Happy you found me! I will certainly visit your chateau, at least virtually! :-)

Alain:
Toi aussi est curieux? Voir ma réponse à Cergie ci dessus! :-)

PeterParis said...

Eddy:
J'espère bien qu'on va finir par se "bosculer", peut-être exprès? :-)

Catherine:
Décidemment, tout le monde veut savoir! :-) (Voir réponse à Cergie ci-deesus.)

Virginia:
Yes, Ciné 13 is very close. I have been there of course, but without my camera. Maybe one of these days. Perhaps together (?), but your program is now so full! :-)

PeterParis said...

Krystyna:
Thanks for the comments about "convincing"! You know, you have already convinced me about a lot of things! :-)

Rauf:
So happy to see you here! I have only recently discovered your fantastic blog!
Yes, here most of the old cinemas are today small super- or minimarkets and most of the new cinemas are linked to big shopping centres. But there are also some nice cineama-and-culture centres. Talking aobut "afford", the last weekend and a couple of days, all cinemas here have offered a price of 3,50€.

Nathalie:
J'aimais aussi bien le mannequin, mais j'ai quand' même voulu mettre le cinéma à l'honneur! :-)

PeterParis said...

Richard:
Very wise comments (of course) ... or at least I share them! :-)

Matritensis:
... ot forgetting Miró! :-)

Lara:
Well, I guess this is quite general, but fortunately there are a few eceptions here! :-)

Shammickite said...

Another beautiful glimpse of the old streets of Paris, and a lovely little conema. I didn't know there were still windmills in existence.
And I must apologise again, for spelling your name wrong in a previous comment, and then spelling it wrong AGAIN in my apology....! My fingers are too fast for my brain.

Anonymous said...

Another very informative post. I again liked the comparison of streets. My fav. thing to do. :-)

And what was that statue doing sitting out there ?

Carole said...

Très belle salle, je n'y suis jamais allée. J'aime bien les lumières, elles sont originales.
Sinon, c'était comment Volt ? hi,hi,hi!
Bon cinoche Peter !

PeterParis said...

Shammickite:
Yes, there are two, but of course the wings are not turning! :-) + the Moulin Rouge one, which is a fake.

Cuckoo:
Taking a rest! :-)

Carole:
Il me reste encore à voir Volt! :-)

Neva said...

Definitely a very nice trip down a lovely lane......I love your post and the windmill is something I remember from being there...(Fatticus is still with my sister!)

PeterParis said...

Neva:
... or up! :-) (Poor sister!) :-)

Unknown said...

Great post, as allways! The 1st shot is awesome!
And it's allways so nice seeing Amélie Poulain! :-)

Peter, you really understood every sentence written in portuguese on my blog! I'm amazed! How come? :-)

Virginia said...

Peter,
Does Cinema 13 ever show films with subtitles? I doubt it!!! Would love to see a film there if I could understand what was said, or maybe I could just watch it and try and guess!HA

Anonymous said...

Oh, so nice to see rue Tholozé again. My link goes to another photo, some 40 years ago ;-)

Ruth said...

So happy you and rauf have found one another.

The colors of rue Tholozé warm my heart.

We had a Studio 28 on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, and I never knew it might represent anything but the street! Perhaps they didn't know either. As rauf said, it is a treat to see a film in a "real" theater like that. At least movie viewing has not gone down in this miserable economy!

fireflyfellow said...

In six weeks I will be honeymooning in Paris, and apparently this cinema is just outside our hotel door. I appreciate your post, and you have me quite excited to check it out! Thanks!