San Giorgio a Cremano. A terrible blow for the city that was the birthplace of the famous Massimo Troisi: it's no longer even a cinema. The announcement was made by owner Claudio Quagliata, who, with his wife Cristina Saporito, made cinema history in San Giorgio a Cremano. A true milestone, one the city should name streets and squares after, in recognition of their contribution to the city.
In fact, Claudio managed the Massimo cinema, the first in the area, in via Pittore, from 1957 to 1984, which closed shortly after the 1980 earthquake, and a gym was opened in its place. However, already in 1963, Mr Claudio Quagliata managed the Cine-Teatro Savoia near the then Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (now Ferdinando di Borbone), a cinema that was also very successful until its demolition in 1968. From 1968 to 1972, Mr Quagliata also brought the open-air cinema to San Giorgio a Cremano with the Diana cinema, which had a 150-seat indoor hall inside Villa Vannucchi and in the summer became an open-air cinema. Massimo Troisi was a regular at the Savoia cinema, where Mr Quagliata still remembers the slaps he gave him because “he always came to make a mess”. In 1972 the Flaminio cinema was inaugurated, a futuristic cinema at the time, a true jewel envied by everyone with its precious pink marbles. Countless artists over the years have assiduously frequented the Flaminio cinema (Mario Da Vinci, Mario Merola, Rosaria Maggio, Luisa Conte, Luca De Filippo, Enzo Cannavale, Lello Arena, Alessandro Siani and obviously Massimo Troisi) or politicians, perhaps all the big names of the past decades have passed through there (Napolitano when he was Minister of the Interior, De Mita, A. Mussolini, De Caro, Bassolino). At the time it was customary to roll out a long red carpet inside the cinema every time an illustrious visitor arrived.
The Flaminio was born as a maxi cinema with a single room with 650 seats, which at the time was something grandiose. Then it was transformed into a Cine-Theatre and the seats were reduced to 500. With the management of Mr Quagliata's son, Arnaldo, the cinema rooms became two, one with 450 seats and a smaller one with 60 seats. Curiosity: the first screening of the Flaminio cinema was "Zanna bianca" in 1972. It was broadcast in absolute preview in San Giorgio a Cremano and then in the following days in the other cities of Campania. First in San Giorgio then in Naples and this was made possible thanks to the fact that the brother of Mr Claudio Quagliata, Mr Amedeo Quagliata, was the manager of the well-known Titanus house and gave the Flaminio cinema the absolute preview in Campania. The cost of the ticket at the time was 160 lire during the week and 180 on Sunday. Already in 1972 the Flaminio, in a structure that at the time was luxurious, but that still today preserves its beauty unchanged, transmitted films in color, a true luxury at the time. And it continued to provide films to the public in first vision in San Giorgio a Cremano as also happened with the film "the four days of Naples".
A life dedicated to always providing the best to the citizens of Sangiorgese. Now unfortunately due to a crisis that affects the general film market as a whole, not sparing even the most prestigious multiplexes, the cinema finds itself having to close its doors and look for someone who wants to take over the management of the place.
“True news that we intend to sell the venue, among other things in excellent structural conditions. Unfortunately with the advent of multiplexes customers no longer flock to us despite the sacrifices made to ensure first runs and good quality programming” Arnaldo Quagliata tells us. Meanwhile the historic father patriarch of cinema in San Giorgio a Cremano tells us “I have dedicated my life to cinema sacrificing the best holidays of the year. For the passion and love that we have for this activity, despite the few presences we still ensure the opening of the venue, but we do not know for how long”, thus Claudio Quagliata, a life spent for cinema in San Giorgio a Cremano.
Unfortunately, if we don't change direction, the fate of the Flaminio cinema is sealed. It's pure madness to lose such a monument, a historical memory of cinema and theater right in the city of San Giorgio a Cremano that makes the Cine-Teatro one of its added values. The institutions and the citizens cannot stand by and watch this happen. We must rally around this historic activity, the pride of our city, and prevent its failure. The municipal administration that always claims to be "attentive" to the city's excellences then inexplicably does not intervene forcefully to support and encourage the recovery of this jewel of ours. It would be truly serious in the city of Massimo Troisi to lose the only existing Cine-Teatro, which has also been a historical memory of cinema and theater in San Giorgio a Cremano for over half a century. Strangely, the mayor sponsors the open-air summer cinema at Villa Bruno, forgetting about the Flaminio and the Quagliata family who made the history of cinema in San Giorgio a Cremano. Inexplicably, not taking advantage of their experience and expertise.
Last observation: while the Mayor sponsors the open-air cinema, the managers of the Flaminio are dealing with reality, the weekend takings that register only 5 admissions on Saturday and 7 admissions on Sunday. In these conditions it is impossible to survive. For a cinema manager to show a film can cost from 1500,00 to 4000,00 euros, it is still an expensive market to ensure first showings, without considering the costs of water, electricity, or garbage that reaches 4800,00 euros per year given the size of the venue. Saving the Flaminio is still possible, difficult but necessary, it must be done!
George Kontovas
EDITORIAL TEAM
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