The Fourteenth Arrondissement (3/4)

III

Cinq Parnassiens / Sept Parnassiens

This art theater opened in 1978 as the "Cinq Parnassiens". Like the nearby Paramount Montparnasse, two small auditoriums were later added to the five original ones in 1979, and it became the "Sept Parnassiens" (along with the UGC Opéra, they had more screens than any other cinemas in Paris).
Since the opening, it always played a combination of art and more general movies, all in their original languages.
All auditoriums were black with brightly colored lines (once again, this was the seventies). The seats, with metal backs, are much more comfortable than the ones offered in the Latin Quarter.

The cinema is located inside a small shopping center (another Montparnasse theater where viewers don't fear the rain in the waiting lines). At the entrance of the gallery, a now closed tiny candy store had a sign saying "Last stop before the show"!

Before the box office, the usual metal bars separated the short waiting lines (they had been replaced by better looking wooden bars). A friendly cafe with tables and a candy counter is located in the main lobby.

The theater was completely renovated recently. Like the Cinq Caumartin and the Trois Lincoln, it is part of the small Multiciné chain, and its auditoriums share the look of the other Multiciné auditoriums (red seats and walls, curved screens whatever their sizes, and Dolby SR or better in all auditoriums).

Sept Parnassiens - projection booth

Theater 1 (below) is the second largest in the cinema. It has a slight slope, 245 seats and a 27ft curved screen. The sound is Dolby SRD (see the booth in the left picture).

Theater 2 (below) has 268 seats and a 27ft curved screen. It is the largest and most pleasant auditorium in the cinema. No-one could tell me why it isn't called theater 1, nor why it is only equipped with Dolby SR sound.

Theater 3 (below) is a medium size auditorium, with 120 seats; its 20ft curved screen is nice, but located too high.

The other auditoriums are smaller. Theater 4 (below) has 69 seats and a 17ft screen.

Sept Parnassiens - theater 5
Theater 5 (left) was the smallest auditorium in the Cinq Parnassiens. It now has 53 seats and a 13ft screen.
Theaters 6 and 7 were added in 1979. They used to look different from the others (dressed in orange). Theater 6 is long and rather narrow, it has 54 seats and a 13ft screen.

Theater 7 (below) has 31 seats; it is one of the smallest in Paris, but its 13ft screen allows a decent projection.

Delambre / Trois Parnassiens
The Delambre (600 seats) started to play pornographic movies in the seventies. It was devided into three auditoriums a few years later. Like most pornograhic theaters, it eventually closed down, in 1983. It was then renovated in reopened as the Trois Parnassiens.

It was owned by the same people who owned the Sept Parnassiens, and it would play the same kind of movies. Theater 1 was nice, all blue, with 260 seats, a 27ft screen and Dolby Stereo sound; its projection booth was not located in the center of the back, but that wasn't too much of a problem. On the second level, theater 2 had 120 seats on an opposite slope, which made viewing conditions most unpleasant; the screen was 22ft wide. Theater 3 (100 seats, 20ft screen) was much nicer.

The Trois Parnassiens closed down in 1989; it was replaced by a small supermarket.

Gaîté Palace / Gaîté

The Gaîté was a single screen 600-seat movie theater, which became a porn theater in the early seventies. Rue de la Gaîté was then famous for its porn theaters, sex shops and prostitutes. In the eighties, the city hall decided to revive the area, and put the emphasis on the many live theaters of the street. In 1986, the Gaîté closed down, and became a live theater, the Théâtre d'Edgar; it is now named the Théâtre de la Gaîté.

Cinévog Montparnasse

The Cinévog Montparnasse opened its four auditoriums (230 to 85 seats) in 1975, and closed down in 1991. It only played pornographic movies. The front (left picture) was original, with a rotunda and a windmill. It is now difficult to guess the former theater behind the new front, but the rotunda is still visible (right picture). It is now a hotel and restaurant.

Texas / Paramount Gaîté / Espace Gaîté

The single screen Texas was bought by the Siritzky brothers in 1962, and became the Translux Montparnasse. It had a more than decent 50ft screen. It was later renamed the Paramount Gaîté. It then played movies that were played at the less prestigious but better located Paramount Montparnasse, which usually attracted more more people.

It changed owners again in 1979 and became independant. It was divided into three auditoriums and became the Espace Gaîté. Many movies were played in their own languages. After remodelling, one of the smaller auditoriums disappeared, and the largest auditorium got a huge Imax-like screen (I've never seen this auditorium). Theater 2 was decent (150 seats, 24ft screen). The Espace Gaîté closed down in 1987. Today, it is impossible to guess the former theater behind the front.

Maine Pathé / Maine Rive Gauche

The Maine Rive Gauche could accomodate more than 1,000. It started playing karate movies in the mid-seventies, and closed down in the early eighties to be demolished.

Photo credits :

front of the Trois Parnassiens: ???
front of the Cinévog Montparnasse: Philippe Preux
All other pictures © Silver Screens 2000

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