The good old days!

by Natasha Tynes | Feb 18, 2005 | Jordan, my nation

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.