Het City-theater op het Leidseplein is weer open. De gevel is prachtig gerestaureerd; de jaren '20-architectuur in volle glorie hersteld. Daarachter bevindt zich een modern 'multiplex'. Een vooruitgang? Filmliefhebber en -vertoner Jeffrey Babcock* schrijft het volgende in zijn nieuwsbrief:
"Towards the end of his life, the great Italian film director Marco Ferreri (La Grande Bouffe) made a film called "Nitrato d'argento" in which he documented the sad closing down of Italy's grande movie theatres, beautiful locations which were replaced by sterile, automated multiplexes. This is a phenomena that's gripped most of Europe....and in Amsterdam no one is more responsible for this than the French corporation Pathé.
What have we lost? Wonderful cinemas like the Desmet and the Rijksdaalder Bioscoop which were forced to close down, and cinemas like The Movies were sold to new owners and had to become more commercial. The Pathé is a huge monster which never has enough and is responsible for the destruction of so much beauty in this city...and now they are opening their new huge location in the Leidseplein. I was talking to someone in the small Cinecenter (across from the Melkweg) and they are afraid that they will have to close down soon also because they won't be able to compete. This is no accident, the Pathé is strategically trying to rub out all alternatives in this city.
What can we do? Well I would suggest not supporting the Pathé corporation in any way. Once again, I am not telling anyone what to do, I am only making a suggestion which perhaps you should consider....!"
*) De Amerikaanse kunsthistoricus Jeffrey Babcock -sinds een jaar of twintig woonachtig in Amsterdam- verblijdt menig filmfreak met regelmatige vertoningen van obscure en/of alternatieve filmklassiekers in o.m. De Nieuwe Anita, OT301, Filmhuis Cavia en Delicatessen. A.s. maandag vertoont hij het Prince-vehikel Purple Rain in De Nieuwe Anita; de dag erna het Koreaanse Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance in Filmhuis Cavia.