[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

Office worker's hideout ~ Shinbashi Cultural Theater

Meanwhile, the Shinbashi Cultural Theater, which will close on August 31st, is a 3-minute walk from JR Shinbashi Station. It opened in 1957 (Showa 32), and like the Sangenjaya theater, this theater has survived from the era of ` `Cinema Paradiso '' to the present day.

Shinbashi Bunka is located along the guard of Shinbashi Station, and the Roman Theater next to Bunka Theater is a porn movie theater. Moreover, there is an adult entertainment shop diagonally in front of it. Perhaps because Shinbashi has the image of being a town for office workers, this theater is also called the ``sacred place for old men,'' and it requires a bit of courage for women to go there alone.

Although it wasn't a movie theater I used often, I have some unforgettable memories there. I saw ` `The Town '' (2010), directed by and starring Ben Affleck, at this theater, and the story of men living in Chicago's underworld resonated with the obscene atmosphere of Shinbashi, giving it a very realistic feel. Ta. Because it's under guard, you can hear a rattling sound every time a JR train runs, but in the case of an action movie like ``The Town,'' it seemed like a kind of sound effect (?).

After it was decided that the museum would be closed, it began programming some very ambitious programs, including the two-part series `` Night of the Hunter '' (1955) and `` A Beautiful Adventure '' (1971). ``Cinema Paradiso'' was screened from July 19th to 26th of this year (along with Francois Truffaut's somber black-and-white film `` I Can't Wait for Sunday! '' (1982)).

When I went to the daytime screening on a weekday, the rather dangerous mood of ``The Town'' had faded, and there were a few female audience members. Then, when I sat in the back seat, I heard a rattling noise. That's the sound of the film spinning. This work is already available in digital version, but like Sangenjaya Cinema, this will also be screened as a film. The rattling sound seemed like the breathing of a living thing called film.

After the movie ended, I went outside and took a closer look at the building. There is a glass showcase in front of the theater, and posters, press materials, and other promotional materials are pasted on the other side. During the Showa era, there were many movie theaters built like this, but in recent years they have disappeared.

And there was this announcement above the showcase.

``We have decided to close the museum due to seismic reinforcement work under the JR overpass.Our museum has been operating for a long time since 1957 with the support of everyone. All of our employees would like to thank you for your continued support and patronage. Thank you very much."





◉Shinbashi Cultural Theater closed on August 31, 2014. ``Cinema Paradiso'' was also shown here before the theater closed.

In order to capture the scenery of the showcase, I stood in front of the brothel in front of the movie theater and pressed the shutter several times. The outside is uniformly white and has a wide width.

After seeing the abandoned movie theater in ``Cinema Paradiso'' at a theater in Shinbashi, I became concerned about Sangenjaya Cinema, which had closed two days earlier, so I got off at Sangenjaya.

When I got to the front of the theater, I saw that the signboard with the name of the theater was still there, but the shutters at the entrance had been lowered and the ticket office was closed.

When I saw `` And I Become a Father '' the day before it closed, the theater was buzzing with activity, but the shutters have now been lowered and will never be opened again. The image of the ruined Paradise Theater that I had just seen overlaps with the movie theater in front of me.

The 1950s (late 1950s to 1950s) saw the emergence of Sangenjaya Cinema and Shinbashi Culture. Japan has started on the path to a period of high economic growth. In the movie world, Toho's `` Seven Samurai '' (54) and `` Godzilla '' (54) were big hits. People were transfixed by Yujiro Ishihara, an exhilarating tough guy produced by Nikkatsu, and Rikidozan's televised professional wrestling match. It was a time when a new hero image was needed that was appropriate for the period of growth.

Although the film industry felt threatened by the advent of television, the box office was still strong. 60 years have already passed since that era.

Theaters in Sangenjaya and Shinbashi are 60 years old in human terms, so it wouldn't be surprising if they retired in 2019, but the number of historical masterpiece theaters and Nibankan theaters in Tokyo is decreasing, and the mini-theaters that were created after the 1980s are also facing a headwind. Considering the current situation, it is unfortunate that the museum has closed.