Cinema

Spanish Cinema has enjoyed a good deal of popularity abroad every once in a while, be it Spanish films, or English-spoken features produced in Spain (like The Others). Local names like Pedro Almodóvar, Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem are quite well known outside Iberia. As you can probably guess, the industry is quite popular here, and that’s why last year a Walk of Fame, inspired by the one in Hollywood, was unveiled in Madrid, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. The four celebrities I already mentioned are among the 25 stars in the “opening class”.

The Walk’s located in a strategic position: right next to some of Madrid’s most famous cinemas, Golem, Renoir Princesa, Renoir Plaza de España, and Princesa. These theaters present the most diverse film offering in the city, with plenty of non-Hollywood movies, be them from other countries, or produced by indie companies. All of them, of course, in their original version, with subtitles. I’ve been there with friends from my former French-language school, precisely to watch films en Français. Every time I’ve been around, I’ve been surprised by the movies being shown: there’s usually at least one Japanese movie, and I’ve seen a few from several Nordic countries as well, besides plenty of documentaries.

The downside? If you don’t understand Spanish well, you might not be tempted to watch any movie unless it’s produced in a language that you do speak, as obviously all subtitles are in Spanish.

-Hannibal Lecter speaking Spanish? No way!

That’s what I said to my sister when she told me she had just watched Red Dragon dubbed in Spanish.

Indeed, it’s quite difficult to find cinemas featuring movies in all of their original sound glory around here. Spaniards are very used to dubbed films, and generally dislike reading subtitles, even though they’re missing a great part of the performers’ acting prowess: their voice. I can’t stand ruining a good movie that way, so I’ve checked my fair share of V.O.S. (versión original subtitulada, or original subtitled version) theatres.

My favorite, both because of its relatively large size (for V.O.S. theaters) and its central location, is Yelmo Cineplex Ideal, a few steps away from Sol. Be aware that you won’t be going into a state-of-the-art establishment, but rather a good enough one to enjoy a movie, with even some of its showings in 3D.

Cinemas in Spain usually offer a discount on a specific day of the week, which in this case is on Mondays and Wednesdays, so those are good days to drop by. But you can also benefit from a discount on weekends, thanks to a coupon that can be printed online (valid until 18th June).