Palermo's Historic Cinemas: Stories of Resistance and Nostalgia

Palermo's historic cinemas embody a bygone era of communal movie-going, as depicted in Giuseppe Tornatore's 'Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.' Among them, the Rouge et Noir, built in the early 1900s by architect Armò, has operated for over a century under names like Enic, Dux, and Abadan, now hosting cultural events alongside films. The ex Cinema Imperia, inaugurated on December 21, 1924, by the Biondo brothers and designed by G. B. Santangelo, later passed to national circuits and was acquired by Eugenio Siviglia, whose family also runs the Multisala Politeama. The Cinema Gaudium, celebrating 70 years in 2022, retains its original fulget walls, marble and glass decor, and marble floor. Designed by Francesco Li Mandri and annexed to the Church of Madonna di Fatima, it opened in January 1952 under the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land, who imposed strict censorship. In 1973, Federico Fellini's 'Amarcord' was shown there with a censored scene, sparking protest from critic Vittorio Albano in the newspaper L'Ora. The cinema later modernized with 500 seats, a gallery, two boxes, Dolby Surround 7.1, and quality programming.