Skip to content

Reflections of a working writer and reader

 

 

Bolaño’s Movie Theatres

john baker, October 15th, 2009. 2 comments. Filed under literature, quotations, theatre.

The only movie theatres that were worth anything, said Charly Cruz, were the old ones, remember them? those huge theatres where your heart leaped when they turned out the lights. Those places were great, they were the real movie theatres, more like churches than anything else. high ceilings, red curtains, pillars, aisles with worn carpetting, box seats, orchestra seats, balcony seats, theatres built at a time when going to the movies was still a religious experience, routine but religious, theatres that were gradually demolished to build banks or supermarkets or multiplexes. Today, said Charly Cruz, there are only a few left, today all movie theatres ar multiplexes, with small screens, less space, comfortable seats. Seven of these smaller multiplex theatres would fit into one of the old theatres, the real ones. Or ten. Or even fifteen. And there’s no sense of the abyss anymore, there’s no vertigo before the movie begins, no one feels alone inside a multiplex.

The above is extracted from Roberto Bolaño’s novel, 2666.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Share

2 Responses to “Bolaño’s Movie Theatres”

  1. Jim Murdoch says:
    15th October 2009 at 4:30 pm

    My wife and I don’t go to the pictures very often these days but a couple of years ago we went one afternoon and we were it, the entire audience, and since she’s my other / better half I guess that counts as being on your own.

  2. K M Britt says:
    19th October 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Beautiful yes, but I still prefer air conditioning. lol

Leave a Reply

Your personal details will never be shared.

Try to be cool in your comments. That doesn't mean you can't be critical, but if you're rude, your stuff will be deleted. Please use your real name and not your business name and don't put your website address in the comment text, as both appear like spam. Thanks for adding to the conversation.

Follow comments to this post by subscribing to the comment feed.