The Italian balconies, the leather seats, the Scottish upholstery. Nothing has changed… or almost. Behind this decor, a name: Madeleine Destal. It was she who in 1971 embarked on the renovations of the cinema which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. She chose the decoration, rearranged the space, took care of this room as if it were her home.
On October 5, 1972, the cinema reopened its doors. Jean-Luc Destal, the son of Madeleine Destal, was 21 at the time. Lucky twist of fate, he was born on the same day as this reopening and therefore shares his birthday with that of the Apollo. But this October 5, he is not here to party. “I was in Paris at that time, I could not take advantage of the reopening” he is sorry.
– Corentin Bemol
filming anecdotes
However, this cinema is his whole life. He remembers the very first film shown in the blue room: “It’s not a film that left a big mark in the history of cinema. It was “The Hare’s Race Through the Fields” by Rene Clement. It was the director of Gaumont who absolutely wanted to have his film here exclusively” he remembers.
There are plenty of stories about this cinema. For good reason, he was a projectionist then operator of the room from 1976 until the end of the 80s. He remembers his favorite film, which he did not hesitate to come and see as soon as he passed, even when he wasn’t working. A Russian film from the 70s: Dersou Ouzala, Soviet-Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa.
– Corentin Bemol
“We found bras and panties”
Another anecdote: the Dredge in the room. “The young people came into the room with their boyfriends. He would stand at the top of the balcony, on the side to kiss. We even found a few times bras and panties in the room” he slips mischievously.
The cinema has crossed the ages, the cinematographic currents. From the new wave to the most popular films (Rocky, Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez etc). Today, when he talks about the history of this cinema, he talks about his mother. “The Apollo was his room, it was his baby” he recalls fondly.