For some reason Roba’s post about Concord Cinema made me extremely homesick. Concord Cinema was the very fist theater where I got to watch a movie of my choice on the big screen without parental presence. I remember it was in the early 1990’s when I headed out on my first "sans-parents" movie outing with my friend Lana to Cinema Concord in Jabal al-Hussein. I vividly recall watching the film La Bamba. I was very happy that day and went back home to tell my sister, Tania, about the movie and the wonderful experience at the theater.
Those were the days when I used to enjoy the simple things. Would I return to that theater today? I very much doubt it. The place has become filthy, the screen quality is comparatively mediocre and you are always greeted by a grumpy old man who wants to make sure you have the right ticket for the right show. Amman changed a lot since the heyday of Cinema Concord.
Nowadays, there are a good number of top-notch theaters which have helped transform a trip to the movies into a mainstream outing instead of a fringe activity for the curious. Today’s theaters are clean with fairly new movies and young, attractive clerks that issue the ticket with a smile –- a rare feat for Jordanians.
Long gone are the days of Cinema Concord, Philadelphia or even Plaza. Now it’s: Century Cinema, Galleria and Grand Theaters! Although these places provide you with a decent movie night, they lack the unique character of Cinema Concord or even Cinema Philadelphia, where you were greeted with hand-painted film posters! Ah, I long for those good carefree days of youth in Amman when simplicity was the name of the game.
I saw al Taqrir with my dad at Cinema Plaza in Shmeisani years ago— Is it still open by the way?
I forget what was the first movie i saw with out my parents, but i do remeber the last movie i saw with my dad in a theater.
My brothers, sister and I went to go see Forest Gump. WE were so excited because everyone made a big deal out of it. Anyway, last minute, my dad decides to join us. My siblings sit in a row behind my dad and I. Then, the scene where forest is in the dorm room with the girl and she takes of her shirt…yada yada yada, long story short, my dad gets up and tells us “yalla, what kind of movie is this? get up, we are leaving.” ill never forget it. we all get up in the middle of the movie and leave.
The first movie I ever went to see in Amman was at the Philadelphia (before the days of the cinemas at Le Royal and the Hyatt). If I remember rightly it was the first Harry Potter movie.
I loved the concept of the royal seats at the back, I have never seen anything like that anywhere else in the world – the implied possibility that someone from the royal family could just drop in for a movie. There are few countries where that would be possible.