The Czech Movie Experience
I went to see a movie in Liberec (a Czech city of about 100,000) last night. The review is in the previous post.
The experience of seeing a movie here is sometimes more interesting than the movie itself. I'm not sure this was the case last night, but the experience was different than what a lot of people stateside are used to.
The theater in Liberec is a small, old theater. There is assigned seating, but last night there was only about 20 people so we were told to sit wherever. What a relief! The first time I saw a movie here was in 1997. About 30 people had sat in their assigned seats in a theater that holds 200. All sat in one square in the middle of the theater without a single empty seat among them, with one exception: I was sitting well away from the group wondering, "what is wrong with these people?" Luckily, things are changing.
After we purchased our tickets, Ivan and I went upstairs to the bar that is attached to the theater. I asked the bartender if I could bring the glass into the theater with me. He asked if there were a lot of people and I assured him there weren't. Yes was the answer. I paid my 90 cents for a half liter of the finest beer you ever tasted, had a few sips, and we went to see the film. One thing about the bar was that there was a table of about 10 guys sitting a smoking a joint. The bartender was helping them.
After the film, I returned my glass, chatted with the bartender a bit, and walked into the center of town to have a kebab. A guy named Abraham (he is from Jordan) runs the Kebab shop, and thank god for that. This is the only real kebab you can get in the Czech Republic as far as I know. Lamb on the spit with 27 spices, and real homemade bread. While I was eating, I was approached by a drunken Ukrainian who tried to pick me up speaking German. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful. I was flattered nonetheless.
I guess what struck me the most about the night was the relaxed atmosphere, and the freedom. Liberec leaves a lot to be desired, however, the freedom to do what you want when you want is not an issue.
Technorati tags: Liberec, Czech, movie, freedom
The experience of seeing a movie here is sometimes more interesting than the movie itself. I'm not sure this was the case last night, but the experience was different than what a lot of people stateside are used to.
The theater in Liberec is a small, old theater. There is assigned seating, but last night there was only about 20 people so we were told to sit wherever. What a relief! The first time I saw a movie here was in 1997. About 30 people had sat in their assigned seats in a theater that holds 200. All sat in one square in the middle of the theater without a single empty seat among them, with one exception: I was sitting well away from the group wondering, "what is wrong with these people?" Luckily, things are changing.
After we purchased our tickets, Ivan and I went upstairs to the bar that is attached to the theater. I asked the bartender if I could bring the glass into the theater with me. He asked if there were a lot of people and I assured him there weren't. Yes was the answer. I paid my 90 cents for a half liter of the finest beer you ever tasted, had a few sips, and we went to see the film. One thing about the bar was that there was a table of about 10 guys sitting a smoking a joint. The bartender was helping them.
After the film, I returned my glass, chatted with the bartender a bit, and walked into the center of town to have a kebab. A guy named Abraham (he is from Jordan) runs the Kebab shop, and thank god for that. This is the only real kebab you can get in the Czech Republic as far as I know. Lamb on the spit with 27 spices, and real homemade bread. While I was eating, I was approached by a drunken Ukrainian who tried to pick me up speaking German. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful. I was flattered nonetheless.
I guess what struck me the most about the night was the relaxed atmosphere, and the freedom. Liberec leaves a lot to be desired, however, the freedom to do what you want when you want is not an issue.
Technorati tags: Liberec, Czech, movie, freedom
posted by Praguetwin at
4:42 PM
1 Comments:
THanks for dropping by. I really enjoy the opportunity to see areas like Eastern Europe through western eyes.
Been meaning to get you linked and have now doe so.
By
Cartledge, at 6:03 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home