Madrid: The movies- Cine Doré

Tucked into the barrio (neighborhood) of La Latina in Madrid is the beautiful movie theater, Cine Doré (c/ Santa Isabel, 3). This ciné is owned by the national film archive organization, Filmoteca Espanola, which allows it to have a wealth and unmatched depth of films available for display. There are a few of these state operated theaters in Spain and being a national program, the price per ticket is only €2.50. 

View from the outside

Cine Doré has one screen and shows four movies every day but Monday (closed). Films vary from classic movies to contemporary new releases and are not limited to Spanish or American cinema. Films from all over the world are shown and every month they have two or three themes. This last month they featured Tim Burton, 36 directors from Japan, Erland Josephson, and others. Another great thing is that movies are always shown in their original language with Spanish subtitles. This is rare among Spanish media; typically all shows and movies in large theaters are shown with Spanish overdubs. When checking listings for small theaters, it will say “VOSE” (version original sutitulara en espanol) if it’s without overdubs.

The movie theater is beautiful, having been converted from an old theater it has adequate seating and a second floor balcony. The segmented individual seating on the sides of the balcony remain in place, a relic of the times past. The ceiling has an ornate design painted in bright colors and it still feels more like a play theater than a movie theater. Outside of the seating area there is a large café serving food and drinks. It’s a popular spot for hanging out and certainly a hot spot for discussing cinema.

View from the balcony.

Filmoteca Espanola is my favorite theater in Spain, not just for its charming design and warm vibe, but for the culture it provides cinema fans in Madrid. Because of Filmoteca Espanola’s access to older movies, there are some films shown that I doubt are shown anywhere else in the world. Early 20^th century silent Spanish civil war themed movies, 70’s dramas from Mongolia, and other rarities are shown regularly at Cine Doré. Apparently when my friend went to see a silent movie, the audience didn’t know what to expect and the situation eventually digressed into everyone failing in attempting to hold in their giggles directed at a patron who had fallen asleep and who had begun snoring loudly. Such is the scene at Cine Doré; fans of all types of cinema come to get a sampling of Filmoteca Espanol’s huge archive.