Nostalgia Sunday – Going to the movies

December 14, 2008 - 11:42 AM by

Went to see Bolt last night, the new Disney-Pixar marvel. There we were, Dolby-branded polarized glasses on our noses, set to enjoy the latest technological advancements in 3-D animation. And then the real Israel intruded in the form of popcorn being flung periodically by tee-hee-hee-ing teenage girls in the back row, reminding me of an iron-clad rule from long ago: never go see a movie in Israel on Saturday night.

It was on a Saturday night that we went to see “Dirty Dancing”. The cinema’s name eludes me (it was at the corner of Dizengoff and Frishman) but I can never forget the fight that broke out between two girls, one of whom accused the other of blocking her view and — it was squealed repeatedly — having grown too tall. The row went on for quite a long time until an usher broke it up.

No ushers came to our aid last night – are there even professional ushers anymore? – and in general, movie-going here ain’t what it used to be. Some parts of that experience are greatly missed. True, on one hand, there used to be signs posted in every cinema that said, “No sunflower seed cracking and no bottle rolling,” in a vain attempt to thwart those activities most beloved of the audience. No, don’t miss that part. On the other hand, going to the movies in the days of one-channel television was a social event. Everyone went.

And everyone went to see whatever, because films came to Israel months, even years, after they were released in the US. Even first-run movie houses would occasionally screen bygone gems like “Gone With the Wind” or “Doctor No,” for lack of anything new to show.

Before the film and during intermission, a man would walk up and down the aisles, selling “Cassata” ice cream sandwiches and “Eskimo limon” popsicles. Israel’s cinema-owners still persist in stopping films for an annoying 5-minute intermission, but the straight-to-your-seat Cassata man service is gone, replaced by standing in line buy cola and popcorn that is apparently as good for throwing as it is for eating.

Wikipedia in Hebrew has a lovely entry about Tel Aviv’s old movie houses, chiefly the legendary Mugrabi Cinema; built in 1930 it was damaged by fire in 1986 and torn down in 1989.

It also has the name of the movie house at the corner of Frishman and Dizengoff – the Passage Hod. The Esther Cinema in Dizengoff Circle, you will learn, has been turned into a lovely boutique hotel. The panoramic tour of the lobby (where the old projector sits) is definitely worth a click.

Have any memories of movie-going in Israel to share? Bad or good, we’d love to hear them.

Tags: • Category: General, Israeliness, Life, Movies, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture 

Comments

3 Comments on Nostalgia Sunday – Going to the movies

  1. varda on Mon, Dec 15th 2008 8:36 PM

    2. there used to be a movie theater in hadera which was really unique. you would buy your ticket, go through the door into the cinema, and look up to see the sky! no roof! pretty cool.

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