Filmoteca Española

The other night, Ben and I went to the movies. The theater we went to was called Filmoteca Español, located near Atocha Station on Calle Santa Isabel. The theater shows old movies, all in their original language, with Spanish subtitles, which is great for when Ben and I want a mental break. Walking into the theater is a treat, the first thing you see upon entering is a bar, which serves beer, wine, and coffee. Off in the corner, is a small library for you to pursue as you wait for the movie to begin. The theater is beautiful, it looks more like an opera hall than any movie theater I am familiar with. The light blue curtains, highlight the beautifully painted ceiling. There are tiers of seats, you can either sit in the regular seating, or you can go up to the balcony where there are private viewing boxes. I've never been to a theater this beautiful, so it truly was a treat to sit in such a gorgeous venue.
The tickets into the theater are only 2.50 euros per person, a bargain anywhere, but remarkable when you consider how nice the theater is.


Ben and I saw La Danse, a French film about the Ballet Opera House in Paris. This movie could have been great, there is a story to tell there, but the Cinematography was terrible. For a movie about a visual art, the only thing I expected was for there to be beautiful imagery, but the cameraman had some obsession about filming the cracks in mirrors, so all you got were distorted alien looking ballerinas. This was a movie that could have been good, but wasn't.

It should be noted that I have an amazing husband, he willingly went to a movie about ballet, filmed in French, with Spanish subtitles. It was a difficult mental task for me, and tedious during the many scenes that they talked about the financial going's on of the opera house. Ben made a valiant effort to stay awake, after sacrificing his siesta, missing a meal, and a sleepless night from the heat, but in the end the dark, air conditioned theater won over him, and he took his well deserved siesta in the theater. I'll let him pick the next movie...