watching movies in 1942 France http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474 Chinikins I want my characters to watch a movie that came out during that time period, but my question is, what sort of setting would it be and how much would it cost? By setting I mean, what would the theater look like? I'm guessing there weren't drive-in movies in France at that time... Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:25:55 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_947414 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_947414 Grand Poobah Theatres in France were very similar to small-town American theatres at the time. Only in Paris, or perhaps a couple of the other big cities would you find the movie "palaces" that were more common in US big cities. A typical theatre would have a balcony, and perhaps a few special seats of boxes, maybe a leftover from a previous incarnation as a small opera or legit theatre. The closest cost I've found was 3P for a seat in a British house, so you could likely convert that into Francs to find a current price in France. As the war went on, at in 1942 it was going into its third year in France, things would gradually become more shabby. Materials weren't available to repair or maintain facilities, so the curtain might have some patches or holes, and any damage likely wouldn't have been properly repaired. Since you didn't indicate a location, it's pretty tough to generalize much further. Things in Paris would be different than in rural areas, and things in Occupied France would be much different than Vichy. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:44:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_948663 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_948663 lrparks What ever movie it might be would have to have been approved by the Vichy puppet governent. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:54:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_950471 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_950471 Rosina Rowantree The cinema would be full of smoke, which creates a haze between the projector and the screen - and between the audience and the screen. If in Occupied France, the film would almost certainly have been made by a German sponsored company, to fill the gap left by banned American films. So no Fred Astaire ... Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:37:20 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_951914 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_951914 Chinikins I was thinking, maybe, La Nuit fantastique? This is in southern France, so not occupied. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:15:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_952419 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/historical-fiction/threads/47474?page=1#forum_thread_comment_952419