Abstract
This essay is an ethnographic case study of a local, small-town cinema (Řevnice, near Prague). It analyzes the cultural meanings of the cinema.
Because the cinema, as a place, is constituted by the social practice of cinema-going, this essay is an interpretation of spectators’ lived experiences in that space. Thus, the author of this essay employs the phenomenological approach.
The author’s research reveals that, in current times, there is a strong symbolic polarity between classic cinemas and multiplexes. Classic cinemas are seen to be in opposition to the “popcorn culture” of the multiplexes on the levels of aesthetics, morals, ethics.
In the case of the cinema in Řevnice, the local character of the facility is very important, too. It helps form a local identity incorporated by the town and its inhabitants.
The author also points out the differences between different generations’ perceptions of cinemas in general caused by their different previous experiences.