'Doctor Zhivago', the great success of Cine Paz.
November 13, 1943, the movie peace opens its doors at number 125 Fuencarral street. The premiere movie is Before getting in, allow to exit, Julio de Fleischner, with Valerio León and María Dolores Pradera. A single room, large screen and 999 seats. The film was seen in black and white and instead of trailers before the session, no one escaped seeing the No-Do, News and Documentaries that, precisely, the Franco regime made mandatory the same year that Paz opened.
Fade to black. 75 years later. The Cine Paz is still open and celebrating an almost unique anniversary. It is the fourth oldest cinema still open in Madrid. An achievement, a feat, a feat. Since 1997, it no longer has a single room with 999 seats, but five of different sizes. But it is still a benchmark in the city, a pillar of the Chamberí neighbourhood, a place with faithful parishioners who arrive for its entrance without having consulted the billboard.
“We have such loyal viewers that they come and ask the usher directly which movie they have left to see, or which one is having the most success,” he explains. Carolina Góngora, third generation of the third family in charge of Cine Paz. The ushers they are more prescribers in Paz than Carlos Boyero. Another reason for them to stay there ("We are the only ones who keep them," says Carolina).
The great hall with 999 seats.
Caroline's grandfather Maximiliano García Álvarez bought the Paz in 1978. It was the last of the 14 cinemas that he had in Madrid. By then this cinema was already a benchmark for its films and its technological advances. "In 1951 he had the first success and also with the first color film, The dream of Andalusia –with Carmen Sevilla and Luis Mariano–, It was on the bill for 19 weeks and was seen by 319,000 viewers”, Caroline tells.
In 1959 it is the first theater to install the Todd-AO system, a concave screen and two-way sound system that forever changed the movie theater experience. "And that it was called that because it was invented by a man named Mike Todd, Liz Taylor's third husband," she reveals. 1990 is another key year to establish themselves as benchmarks when they install the THX and launch it with the third Return to the future.
Entry from 1959 when they install the ToddAO.
Its loyal viewers applaud that the quality of the experience is ahead (in 2014 they jumped to digital and last year they improved the theaters), because they are movie buffs (or rather, cinephiles, since women are their best audience), but above all, they have become unconditional to Paz for its programming.
Long before the advent of multiplexes, movie theaters were associated with a movie because a single movie could spend days, weeks, or even months on the bill. for the Peace His first such success was West Side Story, the musical by Natalie Wood and George Chakiris, released in 1964, which lasted a year on its billboard. Two years later, Doctor Zhivago shattered his record and he became the flagship movie of Paz: 481 days.
"The 1960s in Spain are the golden age of cinemas, it is the second largest film market in Europe," says Carolina. "Then he went to the cinema once a month on average, today it's three times a year."
The hall almost the same 75 years later.
And even so, they continue to program films that last longer than normal. According to Carolina Góngora, the key is the step they took to "exhibit only independent films from small distributors", above all, European cinema (65%), Latin American, Spanish... and always dubbed. More commercial cinema only in the time before the Oscars. This is how they have loyalized their ladies.
“They tell us never to close”, Carolina explains that she runs the cinema together with her brother, Mariano Góngora. “Everyone tells you a story about Paz, they came with their parents or grandparents, where they had a snack afterwards, what was the first movie they saw. It is a very neighborhood cinema, although more and more people from other neighborhoods come to us”.
The hall of the room in 1960.
And to celebrate cinema and all those stories associated with Paz, together with Sunset Cinema, have scheduled a cycle with some of those greatest hits from their billboard. "Like Doctor Zhivago that has not been seen on the big screen in Madrid again," she says. Also West Side Story, The Shining, The Great Beauty, Barry Lindon, The Bride's Son, Dog Loves, Dance in the Dark, American Graffiti... “And then there will be other classic movies that are worth seeing on the big screen, like Sabrina, The twilight of the gods, The guateque, Dawn, which is not little ", says Jesús Mateos, from Sunset Cinema.
Almost all of them dubbed and, for the first time, some in the original version to attract another public to this emblematic corner of Chamberí, “one of the most movie-loving neighborhoods in Madrid”, Mateos says.
One of those movies always associated with Paz.