[Mini Theater Revisited] No. 23: Recovering from the movie town of Ginza... Part 12: True story version of "Cinema Paradiso" - The end of two masterpiece theaters

This article is an extra edition, and the main focus is not on the mini-theaters that specialize in first releases, but on Nibankan and Meigaza, which screened films long after their first releases. This film follows the last moments of Sangenjaya Cinema and Shinbashi Cultural Theater, which closed in 2014.

In the 2010s, mini-theaters and masterpiece theaters in Tokyo were closing down one after another, and I was concerned about this situation and started this research because I wanted to leave a record of the theaters. Meanwhile, it was decided that these two historical masterpiece theaters would meet for the last time.

Both theaters screened `` Cinema Paradiso '' (1989) before closing. It was a blockbuster film produced at Cine Switch Ginza in 1989, and even 25 years after its release, it continues to be loved and has become a standard work that marks the end of the masterpiece theater.

There is a scene in the movie where the Paradise Theater, which was once loved by people, is demolished, but even if the movie theater disappears, the films that were screened will continue to live on in people's memories along with the memories of the movie theater...

Herald Ace was the company that purchased ``Cinema Paradiso'' and was in charge of advertising it, and I would like to also introduce comments from Producer Masato Hara, a former representative of Herald Ace who was also involved in the birth of CineSwitch.

*The following articles were serialized on the website operated by Geijutsu Shimbun between 2013 and 2014. This time, we have received permission from Sawako Omori and Geijutsu Shinbunsha Co., Ltd. to reprint this work.

Index

• Closed screening of “Cinema Paradiso”
• Sangenjaya Cinema, loved by locals
• Office worker's hideout ~ Shinbashi Cultural Theater
• clues to the future

Closed screening of “Cinema Paradiso”

``Cinema Paradiso'', which premiered in 1989 at Cine Switch Ginza, a mini-theater in Ginza, became a long-running hit for 40 weeks, and has been shown several times at Cine Switch Ginza since then.

It is often screened at other theaters, and has been screened three times so far at the ``10am Film Festival'', which started at multiplexes nationwide in 2010, including `` Roman Holiday '' (53), ``The Great Escape'' (63), and `` The Great Escape '' (63). It is said to be as popular as Hollywood masterpieces such as ``The Sound of Music '' (1964) and `` The Godfather '' (1972).

This modest work, produced by a mini-theater in Ginza with a capacity of just over 200 seats, has grown into a national hit.

The advertising copy in newspapers at the time of its release was ``Everyone is crying while laughing,'' which is probably why it became so popular because it was a moving film full of humor and tears. There is also something about the way it is presented that captures the hearts of movie fans.

The first half is set in a small Italian village from the late 1940s to the 1950s, vividly depicting the vibrancy of a movie theater (Paradise Theater) at a time when movies were the king of entertainment.

The main character, a young boy named Toto, is also fascinated by movie theaters and becomes a film director after growing up. However, when he returns to his hometown for the first time in 30 years, he finds the Paradise Theater in ruins and will eventually be demolished. The theater owner says to Toto: "No one comes to the cinema anymore. Everyone watches TV and videos."

The second half of the book also makes us think about the nature of theater.

Like Paradise-za, Ginza Bunka Theater, the predecessor of Cine Switch, has been screening movies since the 1950s, but in the 1980s it was reborn as a mini-theater and still has a strong presence.

There are other movie theaters built in the 1950s that remain in Tokyo, but in the summer of 2014, the old movie theaters in Sangenjaya and Shinbashi will be closed, and as part of the closing program, ``New Movies'' will be held . Cinema Paradiso'' was also screened.

I decided to follow this movie and visit the theater to capture the last of the old movie theater in my memory.

Sangenjaya Cinema, loved by locals