Ancien cinéma Rex
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien cinéma Rex, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083164
Bordeaux's atmospheric cinema opened in 1932, the Rex embodied the Hollywood dream in the heart of Les Chartrons. Its enchanting interior, saved from demolition, remains a rare reminder of a bygone era.
History
The Rex cinema in Bordeaux belongs to the constellation of darkened cinemas from the 1930s that transformed a simple cinema screening into a veritable escape into another world. Designed as an 'atmospheric' cinema - a category of establishments where the interior architecture simulated an open-air setting, with painted starry skies and trompe-l'œil Mediterranean façades - the Bordeaux Rex offered its eight hundred cinema-goers much more than just a film: a total immersion in a world of fantasy. What set the Rex apart from its contemporaries was the richness and coherence of its interior décor. Marouflaged canvases - the demanding technique of pasting a painting on canvas directly onto a wall - covered the walls of the room with lush motifs, creating the atmosphere of an enchanted palace typical of the atmospheric genre. Visitors at the time crossed the threshold of the cinema and found themselves transported to a shimmering elsewhere, far from the grey streets of the Barrière de Médoc district. The Rex in Bordeaux was a direct descendant of the Grand Rex in Paris, which opened the same year on the Grands Boulevards. Sharing the same name and the same design philosophy, the two establishments symbolised the golden age of cinemas in France, at a time when going to the local 'palace' was a major cultural and social experience. Although the building was demolished in 1976 or shortly afterwards, the story of the Bordeaux Rex did not end with its walls. Its interior decor has been preserved, reflecting a collective desire to safeguard this intangible heritage of popular French cinema. This last-ditch rescue makes it a valuable case study for architectural historians and film heritage enthusiasts.
Architecture
The Rex cinema in Bordeaux is part of the atmospheric cinema movement, an architectural genre born in the United States in the 1920s and rapidly adopted in Europe. Its founding principle was spectacular: the interior of the cinema was designed as a fictitious open-air space, with a ceiling simulating a starry night sky, and walls decorated with Mediterranean architecture, hanging gardens or romantic ruins, creating the total illusion of sitting under the stars in some exotic palace. The Rex in Bordeaux was generous in its use of this aesthetic, employing the technique of marouflaged canvases to adorn its walls with elaborate pictorial compositions. Built on the site of the former Halles de la Barrière de Médoc, the building adopts the template typical of the large urban theatres of the 1930s: a sober or ornate street façade, depending on the style chosen, concealing a generous interior volume capable of accommodating eight hundred spectators. The single auditorium, arranged in progressive tiers towards the screen, was framed by decorative bays that echoed atmospheric codes. The work of the craftsmen and decorators was the real architectural asset of the venue, transforming a functional space into a dream theatre. The demolition of the building deprived Bordeaux of this architectural envelope, but the preservation of the interior decorative elements bears witness to the quality of workmanship that characterised these great cinemas of the inter-war period, veritable cathedrals of popular entertainment.
Related Figures
Émile Couzinet — cinéaste-producteur et metteur en scène bordelais, directeur de la société fondatrice du RexAuguste Bluysen — architecte du Grand Rex parisien, modèle et inspiration directe du Rex bordelaisJohn Eberson — architecte américain, inventeur du concept de cinéma atmosphérique dans les années 1920
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien cinéma Rex located?
Ancien cinéma Rex is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Ancien cinéma Rex built?
Ancien cinéma Rex dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Ancien cinéma Rex open to visitors?
Ancien cinéma Rex is currently closed to visitors.