[KineJapan] famous movie theaters from the silent era

[gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp]

Just to add to Aaron's explanation, some wooden street front properties in Tokyo and other cities were intentionally demolished in the last year of the war to widen streets with the intention of creating firebreaks as a civil defense measure. I haven't checked the specific sites in question, but assume this was the case with the demolished theaters. This (condemning street frontages and property around the entrances to bridges and intersections for fire breaks) is a policy that dates at least as far back as the early Edo period. But it failed to prevent widespread damage, most horrendously in the air raids of Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in March of 1945. 

Greg Johnson 

-----Original Message-----
From: <dburall1 at rochester.rr.com>
To: Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum <kinejapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: [KineJapan] famous movie theaters from the silent era
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2013 18:13:56 -0400

> Thank you Aaron!
> 
> ---- Gerow Aaron <aaron.gerow at yale.edu> wrote: 
> > Sorry for the delay in responding.
> > 
> > Actually, Asakusa Rokku was not hard hit by WWII bombing (those theaters that were destroyed were purposely taken down by authorities towards the end of the war), so not a few of the theaters built in the late 20s and early 30s actually continued to exist until the 70s and 80s. The three theaters that closed last year were actually built in 1927:
> > 
> > http://www.cinema-st.com/classic/c030a.html
> > 
> > Other theaters had their own histories. The grand Shochiku-za in Osaka, built in 1922, was in use as a legit theater until 1997, when they rebuilt it, only keeping the facade. The Musashinokan building existed until 1968. 
> > 
> > Aaron
> > 
> > On Jul 27, 2013, at 10:24 AM, <dburall1 at rochester.rr.com> <dburall1 at rochester.rr.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > Hello everyone,
> > > 
> > > I'm posting this question on behalf of a colleague. Can anyone help?
> > > 
> > > 
> > > "At the end of the war, did any famous movie theatres from the 
> > > silent era remain open and intact? (e.g. Cinema Palace, Musashinokan, 
> > > Taishokan, Ushigomeakan, Aoikan etc. ?).  I know several were destroyed 
> > > in the Earthquake, but rebuilt shortly thereafter.  But did they survive 
> > > the war?"
> > > 
> > > thanks,
> > > 
> > > Joanne Bernardi
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > KineJapan mailing list
> > > KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
> > > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > KineJapan mailing list
> > KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
> > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> KineJapan mailing list
> KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
> https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan
>  

_______________________________________________
KineJapan mailing list
KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan