The Grand Illusion Cinema is the longest running independent cinema in the city of
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, and has become a landmark of the film community. Opened as The Movie House in 1970, the cinema became the city's first intimate
arthouse
An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
and showcased foreign and revival films. The Grand Illusion is located in Seattle's
University District.
History
The Grand Illusion Cinema first opened in the spring of 1970 under the name, The Movie House, given due to the existence of a small home on the site. Occupying the second floor of an early 20th century building, the space used by the cinema was originally a dentist's office.
Early films that were projected included international and obscure movies, and the cinema was known for an annual December showing of ''
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...
'', a tradition begun in 1971.
The cinema was created by Randy Finley
and the early success of the playhouse led to Finley creating the Movie House in Portland, Oregon in 1973. He then took over the Guild 45th Theater and created the Seven Gables Theatre at 50th and Roosevelt in Seattle. They, and other theaters, became the
Seven Gables Theatre chain, which was later merged with
Landmark Theatres
Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film, independent and foreign film, foreign films.
Since its founding in 1974, Landmark has grown to 35 Indepe ...
. The Grand Illusion was never part of the Seven Gables chain and remained a popular independent venue.
The Movie House transferred ownership to Paul Doyle in 1979. Doyle changed the name of the theater to The Grand Illusion as an homage to "the medium of movies itself" and in honor of the 1937
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
film, ''
La Grande Illusion
''La Grande Illusion'' (also known as ''The Grand Illusion'') is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who ar ...
''.
A non-profit film arts organization, the
Northwest Film Forum
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
, saved the theater from closure in 1997, remodeled it, and revitalized interest in the institution.
In 2004 the cinema was sold to a group of investors including several staff members. , it exists as a completely volunteer-run, non-profit organization. The Grand Illusion shows a wide variety of films ranging from new independent and foreign films, repertory classics, documentaries, and a consistent supply of "late nights" on the weekend which feature horror, sci-fi, and
exploitation film
An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...
s. Over the years the cinema has been host to such people as Quentin Tarantino,
Takashi Miike
is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent an ...
, Alex Cox, Eddie Izzard, Stuart Gordon, Don Hertzfeldt,
Dennis Nyback
Dennis Nyback (July 30, 1953 – October 2, 2022) was an American independent film archivist, found footage (appropriation), found footage filmmaker, historian and writer.
Nyback operated the Dennis Nyback Film Archive, which has over 13,000 s ...
, and the cast of
Troll 2
''Troll 2'' is a 1990 horror film directed by Claudio Fragasso (under the pseudonym Drake Floyd) and starring Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Connie McFarland, and Jason Wright. Although produced under the title ''Goblins'', the American ...
.
In 2008, along with such seminal theatres as the
Alamo Drafthouse
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the movie, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going etiq ...
in Austin and the Film Forum in New York, The Grand Illusion was named one of the best movie houses in America by ''
Paste'' magazine.
[Parish, Matt]
The Best Movie Houses In America
(March 2, 2009) '' Paste'' In April 2023, the owner of the building announced that the site was for sale and despite an active lease, the existence and future of the Grand Illusion is unknown.
Notes
References
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Buildings and structures in Seattle
Cinemas and movie theaters in Washington (state)
Repertory cinemas in the United States
1970 establishments in Washington (state)
{{Movie theaters in Seattle