LOUXOR RISES FROM THE DEAD
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The Egyptian-style cinema is ripe for revival. |
The Louxor, one of Paris’s grand old cinemas, built in 1921 with an Egyptian-style décor, has been closed since 1987, but has continued to stand reproachfully in a prominent spot at the corner of the Boulevards Magenta and La Chapelle, begging for restoration as its colorful mosaics were gradually covered up with posters. The city bought the building in 2003, and a plan has finally been announced by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to restore and reopen the “palace of cinema” in 2013 with a three-screen art et essai cinema, an exhibition space and a café with terrace. The emphasis will be on films from the “South” – South America, Asia and Africa – to reflect the multiethnic character of the neighborhood. The cinema’s original “neo-Egyptian” décor will be preserved and restored as much as possible. For more details, visit the city’s Web site.
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