os cinemas da avenida
T
he world of the cinemas in the Avenida virtu-
Praça dos Restauradores. Having fallen into disgrace
ally only exists in the memories of Lisbonites.
at the beginning of the 20th century, the owner of the
Many still remember the children’s showings
palace was forced to let various parts of the building,
at the Tivoli, Condes and São Jorge cinemas,
and besides several commercial establishments and the
anxiously awaited all year long. The excitement of seeing
Central, it also became home to one of the most popular
the latest Disney Christmas film was as pronounced as
night clubs in Lisbon during the twenties, the legendary
coming to that part of the city itself and entering the large
Maxim’s. This proximity to the club and the interior dec-
cinemas with stalls and carpeted foyers, decorated with
oration of the palace gave the Central a glamour that no
mirrors and magnificent chandeliers, with walls covered
other Lisbon cinema could lay claim to, at least until the
in sculpted stucco and ceilings made from exotic hard-
opening of the Tivoli in 1925 and, very much later, the
woods. All the details of those buildings, and this seen
São Jorge in 1950.
through a child’s eyes as well, seemed to transport you
In the fifties, the competition from television and the be-
into the heart of the world of cinema, like magical ante-
ginning of Lisbon’s move towards the suburbs obliged
chambers that prepared you for the world of dreams and
not only the old cinemas, but also the handful of new
fantasy that the film was about to immerse you in.
ones that had been recently built, to adapt to the chang-
In the foyers and balconies of the Tivoli and São Jorge,
ing times. The São Jorge and the new Condes building
the excitement of the launches of Portuguese films
impressed locals not only for their modern architecture,
from the twenties to the fifties still seemed to echo,
but above all for their large screens adapted to the latest
social events that caught the imagination of the whole
panoramic formats. The fifties were the golden age of
city, organized in the style of the American and French
these formats which sometimes more than doubled the
premières. In front of the cinemas, luxury cars form-
size of the image projected onto the screen and which,
ing lines so long that they stopped the local traffic in its
along with the new systems of surround sound from the
tracks delivered the guests, the women dressed in fabu-
seventies and eighties – Dolby and the famous Sensur-
lous evening gowns and the men in tuxedos. The cinema
round – revolutionised the experience of watching a film
facades were especially decorated for the occasion and
at the cinema. In the seventies, “disaster films” filled the
the names of the films and the actors shone in neon
screens at the Tivoli, Condes and Éden, exploiting these
lights. Sometimes, there were even searchlights. For
new technologies to the maximum and making viewers
one night only, everyone seemed to believe that Lisbon
literally tremble in their seats.
was Paris or even Hollywood.
Outside, the facades were decorated with huge hand-
The cinemas in the Avenida and Restauradores competed
painted posters. Who doesn’t remember the enormous
with those in Baixa and Chiado and, like those, had con-
images that completely covered the facades of the Con-
centrated in this part of the city since the very earliest
des and the São Jorge or even those announcing, at the
years of the history of cinema in Portugal. The competi-
Éden, the most dubious American B action movies from
tion was fierce. Almost every year, the summer break was
the seventies and eighties?
used to upgrade the cinemas, which reopened in October
Today, without counting the Cinemateca, the only cin-
sometimes having been entirely renovated, with new bal-
emas still functioning in the Avenida area are the São
conies, new bars and more comfortable seats. Besides
Jorge (and only sporadically, during the various film fes-
the constant improvements, the cinemas also tried to
tivals held there) and the old Central, which has been re-
stand out from each other through the quality of the pri-
baptized the Salão Foz and is now home to the the Cin-
vate orchestras which provided musical accompaniment
emateca Júnior. In what is a sweet irony for the history
to the silent films until the beginning of the thirties.
of the city, the only cinemas where you can still watch a
One of the most mythical cinemas of the time was the
film in the Avenida are those dedicated to the history of
Central, housed since 1908 in the former chapel of the
cinema and those where you can watch films that bring
Palácio do Marquês da Foz, a notable building from the
to life memories of the times when going to the cinema
end of the 19th century that still dominates the entire
meant going to the cinema in the Avenida. •
12 · liberdade con vida