11.09.2016

Kino International in Berlin/Germany - "Firmafest" 1976

You can see at this postcard the idea of a cinema's front like a big shop-window. The name of the cinema, parted by the film poster, nearly a Golden ratio.
The advertised movie is Firmafest / Firmafesten (The Office Party) by Jan Halldorf (Sweden, 1972), realesed in East Germany on 4 June 1976. The movie isn't well known, but it is one of the first movies with Stellan Skarsgård.
Today office parties take place regularly at Kino International. Big companies love the unique atmosphere there.
The postcard was published by Bild und Heimat in Reichenbach/Vogtland. 
The poster was designed by Heinz Ebel.

Kino International in Berlin/Germany - "Bushido" 1965

I noticed, there are many different postcards from only this cinema.
It is very interesting because you can date the photo very exactly with the big (hand made) film poster at the building front. It is a special document of its era, together with the people, cars and other things. Have you seen the blue umbrella, nearly in the middle of the picture - maybe a little ice shop.
The photo was taken in 1965, the postcard was published in 1967 (you can identify this by a special number on postcard's back). Cinema advertised the movie Bushido, Samurai Saga by Tadashi Imai (Japan, 1963). The movie released in East Germany on 11 June 1965.
The movie won the Golden Bear at 13th Berlin International Film Festival in 1963. Today Kino International is one of the scenes of this Film Festival.
The postcard was published by VEB Bild und Heimat in Reichenbach/Vogtland. 
The poster was designed by Heinz Ebel.


Kino International in Berlin/Germany - "Der Teufel und die 10 Gebote" 1964



This postcard is from 1965. Kino International advertised the movie Der Teufel und die 10 Gebote /  Le diable et les 10 commandements by Julien Duvivier (France/Italy 1962), released in East Germany on 24 January 1964.
The postcard was sent in 1970 as a birthday card to Monica, a schoolgirl in Eisenhüttenstadt. I bought this postcard from Ebay and got it on my birthday.
This is the marvellous world of postcards.
The postcard was published by VEB Bild und Heimat in Reichenbach/Vogtland. 
The poster was designed by Erhard Grüttner.

10.09.2016

Cinéma Le Pestel in Die/France

This building doesn't look like a cinema - there isn't any advertising for movies or for a cinema at all. It looks more like a nice apartment building. But on the back side of the postcard is written: DIE. - Cinéma "Le Pestel". 
I was really surprised when I noticed, that the building is still used as a cinema. Look here: Cinéma Le Pestel. It was opened in 1943 and has one hall with 200 seats. 
Die is only a little commune with about 4,500 inhabitants in the Drôme department in southeastern France. The little town is situated in the Drôme valley, surrounded by the Glandasse mountain. An old place with an unique nature - and a beautiful cinema too. Spend your next holidays in Die!

04.09.2016

Kosmos in Tallinn/Estonia

Cinema Kosmos in Tallinn was opened on 10th march 1964 as the largest film theatre in the Baltics. There was one hall with 1015 seats, and the area of the screen reached 240 square meters. In 1997 the Kosmos cinema was entered in the register of protected landmarked buildings.
In December 2014, the Kosmos cinema reclaimed its title of the most advanced screening hall in the Baltic States. During the renovation for the construction of the new screen with the area of 300 square meters, the building was extended by one storey into the ground. Nowadays Kosmos IMAX has three screening halls. The largest, accommodating 322 viewers, is called IMAX after the technology in use. Apart from the IMAX hall, there are two smaller screening halls – LEM and KUBRICK, with 49 seats each. Regular 2D and 3D movies are shown in the smaller halls.
The postcard is from 1971. It is noteworthy that there is written the name of the architect on it: I. (Ilmar) Laasi.

Just got another postcard showing cinema Kosmos in Tallinn. This postcard is from 1987.

31.08.2016

Kino International in Berlin/Germany - "Der Leopard" 1966


Kino International in East Berlin was opened on 15 November 1963. The first shown movie was the Soviet Optimistische Tragödie / Optimistic tragedy / Оптимистическая трагедия by Samson Samsonov (USSR, 1963). The cinema has a screen of 17,5 metres and 608 seats in one hall. There were also a library and a youth club in this building.
It was the most important film theatre in East Berlin until the fall of the wall on 9th November 1989. On this day there was the premiere of the movie Coming Out by Heiner Carow (GDR, 1989) about young gays in East Berlin.
Today Kino International is used by many filmmakers for premieres due to the theater's ambience and is one of the venues of the Berlinale. Visitors from Berlin are fond of the theater's history and special atmosphere. The large film posters on the outside of the theater are still painted by hand.

The postcard is from 1966. The cinema advertises the movie The Leopard / Il Gattopardo by Luchino Visconti (Italy, 1963), realesed here on 7 January 1966. The poster was designed by Axel Bertram.
It is one of the rare postcards with a cinema at night - and in winter.

The cinema is still opened. It has been on the heritage list of the state of Berlin since 1990.


 

24.07.2016

Marmorhaus in Berlin/Germany

Marmorhaus in Berlin was built in 1912/13 by Hugo Pál - one of the eldest cinema buildings in Germany. It opened in 1913 and had 600 seats. The name Marmorhaus - Marble House - came from the marble front. It looked also great inside with an unique expressionistic design. It was really an awesome building at Kurfürstendamm, one of the most famous avenues in Berlin.
The cinema closed in 2001, after a renovation in 1998.
At Kinokompendium you can see pictures from this cinema in 2000. 

The cinema advertises the movie Der Dieb von Bagdad - The Thief of Bagdad - the 1940 British Technicolor film produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, and Tim Whelan. The film starred Conrad Veidt and child actor Sabu. A second hall at the cinema Lichtburg in Essen is called Sabu - in memory of him. 

Imagine, a cinema in Hungary was named after Alexander Korda - Korda Sándor Filmszínházra in Túrkeve.

The postcard is from 21st century and an old photo. There is written "Richtfest 1940 - topping-out ceremony 1940" on the postcard. But this isn't correct. The cinema opened in 1913. The movie The Thief of Bagdad was never shown in Germany during the Nazi-era. The actor Conrad Veidt migrated to Britain in 1933. There he starred in the title role of the original anti-Nazi version of Lion Feuchtwanger's novel, Jew Süss in 1934. And he played Major Strasser in Casablanca. 
 
There were reinstatemant works after war in 1948/49 (look at the neighbour houses). And the movie Der Dieb von Bagdad - The Thief of Bagdad realesed on 4th August 1949 in West German cinemas. So I think the cinema reopened with this movie. 

Another postcard with the cinema Marmorhaus from 1952: 


Kurfürstendamm at night, on the right the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, on the left cinema Marmorhaus.
The cinema advertises the film Heimweh nach Dir -Homesickness for you, a 1952 West German musical film directed by Robert A. Stemmle. It premiered on September 24, 1952 in the cinema Marmorhaus.


13.05.2016

Tavaryš in Babruysk / Belarus


Babruysk is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina river with about 215,092 inhabitants. 
Cinema Tavaryš (Товарищ, engl. Comrade) has worked since 1940. It was reconstructed in 2012 and a year later a second hall opened. Now it has 378 seats at all.

Zvezda in Baranovichi / Belarus


Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus with about 173,000 inhabitants. 
Cinema Zvezda (Star) opened in 2006 with two halls with 514 seats at all. In former times the building was the House of the Officers.

25.04.2016

Radio City Music Hall in New York/USA

Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in Rockefeller Center in New York City. The building was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone and interior designer Donald Deskey in the Art Deco style. It was a project of  John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel and RCA (Radio Cooperation of America) chairman David Sarnoff. 
The Music Hall opened on December 27, 1932. Originally it was a hall for stage shows. On January 11, 1933, the Music Hall converted to a film theater with a spectacular stage show perfected by Roxy. The first film shown on the giant screen was Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea of General Yen. Radio City Music Hall became the premiere showcase for films from the RKO-Radio Studio. The film-plus-stage-spectacle format continued at the Music Hall until 1979, with four complete performances presented every day.
Radio City Music Hall has 5,933 seats for spectators, and additional seating can be placed on the pit elevator during events that do not require that space bringing the seating capacity to over 6,000. It became the largest movie theater in the world at the time of its opening.
Now the focus of the theater is on concerts and live stage shows, movie premieres and feature runs have occasionally taken place there such as the Harry Potter film series.
I got this postcard via Postcrossing. The photo was taken in Christmas time and advertises The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, an annual Christmas stage musical and Christmas tradition since 1933.