Published at 12:55 am. Updated at 7:00 a.m.
“I remember seeing a film at the Empress when I was four. Back then it was called Cinema V,” says Camille Bédard, who grew up nearby in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district.
“The Empress building has always been part of my landscape,” says the thirty-year-old, who met in front of the old cinema from 1927, whose antiquity contrasts with the neo-Egyptian figures on the facade.
Camille Bédard is very interested in the room at 5560 Sherbrooke West. There she conducted research for her bachelor's degree and then for her master's degree in architecture at McGill University. She has had the opportunity to view the Empress's remains twice, the first time in 2009. “The deterioration was already shocking. Today must be terrible. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
“What a waste,” said a passerby during our visit.
The building has been abandoned since a small fire in 1992. The saga of his rescue consisted of several chapters. A group of citizens led the project to turn it into the Empress Cultural Center. Another, consisting of Élaine Éthier and Mario Fortin (former president and CEO of the Beaubien and Parc cinemas), worked hard to ensure that the Empress was reborn under the name Cinéma NDG. Most recently, in 2021, consultations took place to at least restore its facade.
Sue Montgomery, the former mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, was keen to commemorate the empress, but for now any redevelopment project seems to be on hold. Étienne Brunet, press spokesman for the district, confirmed to La Presse that the building still belongs to the city. “The building is not for sale. Unfortunately, I cannot provide any further details at this time,” he replied in writing.
“It hurts me a lot,” says Camille Bédard. This is a good indicator of the value that heritage has in Quebec. There is little knowledge and interest. »
Escape to the cinema
In her master's degree, Camille Bédard conducted a comparative study of three so-called “atmospheric” cinemas: the Empress, the neo-medieval-style Capitol in Port Hope, Ontario, and the Baroque-style Orpheum in Vancouver. “The special feature of these cinemas is that they reproduce the illusion of an outside space in the auditorium. And the ceiling reproduces a starry night sky. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
In addition to the Empress, several Egyptian-inspired cinemas were built around the world. The Luxor in Paris and Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood still exist.
Atmospheric cinemas were rare at the “palace cinemas”.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Camille Bédard took part in the 2021 consultations to remind people how important the Empress is to Montreal's heritage.
The idea was to take the audience to another world. Not just through film, but also through theater.
Camille Bédard, who conducted extensive scientific research on the Empress on the subject of atmospheric cinema
And why the Egyptian theme (which today might be considered cultural appropriation)? Back then, explains Camille Bédard, we were experiencing a kind of “Egyptomania” after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Emmanuel Briffa, renowned decorator for many cinemas in Montreal, around 200 in total (including the Snowdon Theater and the Le Château cinema), will decorate the interior of the Empress very sumptuously.
Briffa was better known as the Empress Alcide Chaussé's architect, who specialized in fire protection. The Empress opened in 1928, when Montrealers were still reeling from the Laurier Palace tragedy that occurred in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve a year earlier. A fire killed 78 children, most of whom were trampled due to a lack of emergency exits.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
The then Empress, at an unknown date
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
In addition to feature films, short films and television contributions were also presented. People didn't have TVs at home.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
Interior decoration by Emmanuel Briffa
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
The Egyptian Revival style is everywhere.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
There were 1550 places.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CINÉMA NDG PROJECT COMMITTEE
The goal of so-called “atmospheric” cinemas was to disorient people and escape beyond the film.
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Despite its magnificent facade, the Empress was intended to be a second neighborhood cinema, where films would be shown later after their release, emphasizes Camille Bédard.
At the time when the first talkies were made, there were no televisions. Going to the cinema was the ultimate excursion. Several programs were shown there, even television shows. In 1937 there were no fewer than 59 cinemas in Montreal.
The cinema, like the church, was an anchor in the neighborhood. It was a meeting place and a place for socializing. Just arrived [Notre-Dame-de-Grâce]There were four cinemas back then. And the Empress was huge: 1,550 seats.
Camille Bedard
Later, in the turbulent post-war years, the Empress became a burlesque cabaret, the Royal Follies. It remained closed for five years, then was converted into two cinemas in 1968.
After very good years, Cinema V was purchased by Famous Players in 1987, then the flames put an end to screenings. “The fire was an excuse to close it down,” says Camille Bédard, who also dedicated a chapter to the empress in the book “Oriental Interiors: Design, Identity, Space”.
Souvenirs
When Camille Bédard visited the Empress almost 15 years ago, seats and frescoes by Emmanuel Briffa were always visible on the ceiling. She finds it difficult to imagine the state of things today.
The Héritage Montréal organization still hopes to be able to preserve the facade. “Héritage Montréal is very committed to the Empress Theater,” emphasizes Deputy Director of Politics, Taïka Baillargeon. His condition worsened with each passing year. »
Although we have already lost much of this extraordinary theater, we remain hopeful that it will be preserved and highlighted.
Taïka Baillargeon, deputy director of policy at Héritage Montréal
Many people pass by the Empress every day without knowing its history and heritage significance, while long-time residents of the neighborhood attached to the building are upset that there is no movement behind the barricades. “It's a shame,” breathes Camille Bédard in an understatement.
But what film did she see within the walls of the Empress when she was very small? “All dogs go to heaven,” she replies.
“We must not underestimate something important,” she concludes. “When people talk about cinemas, their memories are very emotional. »
Read next week: What happened to the Le Château cinema