Intermissions, expansive snack bars part of Italian cinema

By Abby Lubbers

Created:
02/08/09 8:13pm

Last updated:
02/08/09 8:13pm

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Rome, Italy — It was a rainy weekend in Rome, and the perfect opportunity to go see a movie. I was invited to join four other girls who found a theater showing “Revolutionary Road” in English, so we grabbed our umbrellas and headed to the theater.

The movie was a nice break from the constant hum of Italian, but it turns out, movie theaters in Rome have some unique characteristics:

1. Carpet. No, carpet might not seem unique, but this is one thing that never seems to have caught on in Italy. Any apartment or public building has hardwood floors or tile underfoot. (This is also the reason I can hear every footstep in the apartment above mine, and hear most conversations in the building’s stairwell). But in the movie theater — and only inside the theater — there was carpet. It might sound silly, but I was not accustomed, and a little surprised, to see carpet after more than a month of all tile, all the time.

2. A well-developed snack bar. Instead of simply serving popcorn, fountain drinks and jumbo boxes of candy, the theater housed a cafe in its lobby. As is the case with most Italian cafes, this one served pastries, pizza, espresso and beer. That’s another thing about Italy — beer is sold just about anywhere, from a panini cart by the Vatican, to a snack bar at the theater. Of course, this cafe also served movie theater popcorn.

3. An intermission. About halfway through the film, the reel was stopped and the theater’s lights came up. At first I thought something had gone awry in the projection room, but then a theater employee started walking around, selling snacks. It was a bit ballpark-style, but the candy was tempting, nonetheless.

4. Italian subtitles. As an American, I have been to very few movies in the theater that have subtitles. But for movie-goers in Italy, this is probably a fairly common experience, since many movies are imported from the U.S.
This particular theater was showing about four films in Italian, and one in English with subtitles. Until this weekend, I had not realized how many films Italians must watch with subtitles, and that gave me another small reason to appreciate knowing the English language.

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About This Italian Life

Journalism and political science junior and former State News reporter Abby Lubbers is studying abroad at John Cabot University in Rome for the spring 2009 semester.

Follow her journey of what it’s like to live and learn overseas.

This is Abby’s Italian life.

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