John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Tom Tryon in 'Primera Victoria' at the Palafox cinema (Madrid)
“Many people from Madrid of my time remember a film linked to a cinema because of the permanence it had, spent months on poster until it reaches rerun and continuous session cinemas”, he says Juan Ramon Gomez Fabra , manager of Palafox and son of co-founder Amadeo Gómez Ezquerra.
Juan Ramón grew up with his six brothers surrounded by screens. “In the Quevedo theater in Cuatro Caminos we had a private box and to get rid of us they put us there and we watched double bills and all kinds of movies,” he recalls. But the Palafox, with its elegance and spectacularity, was the culmination of the family business of the Burgos brothers Cecilio and Amadeo Gómez Ezquerra (they built their first cinema next to Plaza Castilla in 1933, outdoors and with their mother's last name).
'First Victory' (1965) by Otto Preminger at the Palafox cinemas
ANECDOTES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPOTLIGHT
“With the religious culture of the time it seemed that it was a sacrilege to present Jesus Christ on the front of a poster, the Catholics knelt, prayed, protested and that gave the film even more fame” –says Gómez Fabra about the premiere of Jesus Christ Superstar- “some activists also entered the premises with eggs filled with black Chinese ink to try to stain the screen but they did not arrive ”.
The film that marked a generation since its premiere in 1982, ET The alien , also left a mark on the Palafox. “Only we wore it in Madrid in Palafox, Arlequín and Cristal, of the avalanches that had broken even the doors to enter! ”.
'Don Quixote' (1957) directed by Grigori Kozintsev at the Palafox cinema
THE LAST FAMILY LIGHTHOUSE
The history of the Palafox, the second largest screen in Madrid after the Capitol, dates back to October 1962 (in 1961 there were 8,795 screens in Spain, a historical record, according to FECE, the Spanish Federation of Cinemas). “They were so proud of the work that they said it was the best cinema in Europe , and the outsiders did not say it, they said it from the family without any false modesty, which seemed excessive to me, ”he explains with a laugh.
Between three and five films a year passed through the Palafox, generally historical, and brought together international actors who later filled the covers. The hallmark of the house was its spacious hall and ushers in tails and white gloves . "The moment of the premiere had a lot of impact, if for example Charlton Heston came for 55 days in Beijing or Peter O'Tool for Don Quixote. there was a party ”, says Gómez Fabra.
Palafox cinema ticket for December 11, 1968, 'Romeo and Juliet'
GOODBYE TO THE WORLD OF CINEMA
They are days of loss. "It's a bitch! We have premiered many films there, it is an emblematic cinema and it is a huge shame. There are fewer and fewer cinemas in Madrid with a large room to watch movies as a show," laments the producer Christina Huete.
Also Leticia Dolera She presented her first film, Requirements to be a normal person, at the Palafox. "I have a lot of photographic memory and the images of that cinema are impregnated in my retina by many things: by the premiere of my movie, by the years in which I have presented the Syfy cinema sample of fantastic cinema... The pity is that There aren't many cinemas left with such large and spectacular screens in Madrid," he tells Traveler. A film that also meant the leap from Manuel Burque to the big screen as a protagonist. For him, the presentation in such an emblematic room is difficult to forget: “arriving in the car to the outskirts, dressed, your first photocall… everything was very exciting and made the cinematographic event grow. That is what venues like Palafox do: transcend it”.
Room 1 of the Palafox cinema in Madrid
Releases that have marked hundreds of lives of viewers and creators. "The owner of Palafox saved our lives in 1983. We had made Sal Gorda and nobody wanted to release it . Distributors told us desperate. We were sunk. And they called from Palafox saying they wanted to put it on. And it went very well!" recalls the film director Fernando Trueba.
His film Belle Epoque has been the only Spanish title that has been added to Singing in the rain, With skirts and crazy, 2001: a space odyssey, Out of Africa, The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, Pulp Fiction, ET, the extraterrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, The Bride Princess, Cinema Paradiso and the last screening in this cinema, Casablanca, within the cycle-farewell Au Revoir, Palafox . By the way! Due to the success of the call, screenings have been extended in room 2 of the cinema with titles such as: The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, E.T., the extraterrestrial, Cinema Paradiso or Casablanca, among others. You can buy your tickets here .
For Jesus Mateos , organizer of Au Revoir, Palafox , the greatness of cinema lies in the combination of escape and social experience. “Getting away with a movie means escape from your everyday reality to see yourself immersed in a fictional world where you can be part of the lives of the characters for the duration of the film's footage”, a situation that is completed by being able to share those experiences in the same space, at the same time, with hundreds of people at once.
However, cinema cannot live on posthumous tributes. it is necessary keep the cinephile flame alive . “The cinema has to strive to surprise the modern viewer every day and strive to show them that it is an incomparable space in which to watch movies. It has to defeat its opponents: the Internet, piracy, video games, series, huge smart TVs in living rooms, virtual reality just around the corner... and that requires a great effort, a lot of creativity. It needs to strengthen bonds of affection with the public, make them feel privileged, create attractive spaces as other sectors, such as hotels or restaurants, have been doing for many years”, criticizes Mateos.
It's less until Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are the last protagonists of the Palafox. "Apart from the great sadness caused by saying goodbye to such an emblematic venue in your city, these days I am living them as a whole celebration and with great enthusiasm having seen the reaction and affection of the public. I think that in this situation, It is the best farewell gift we can give to Palafox ", says Jesús Mateos, organizer of Au Revoir, Palafox.
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The famous lobby of the Palafox cinema
* Article published on 02.21.2017 and updated with the information of the latest screenings.