Film History

A piece of film history

Restaurant Chagall has been around for a long time in downtown Bruges. Well before we, as the new owners, took over in 2019, Chagall was known as the place to be for a delicious spaghetti. How so? There used to be several cinemas near our restaurant, a lot more than there are today. After the movie, visitors were still looking for a small bite: a spaghetti at Chagall’s was tradition.

Since we like that piece of history so much, we decided to give the movie theme a worthy place in our restaurant. A lot of famous movie stars adorn our walls, quotes from real classics can be spotted here and there, film elements are subtly introduced… In short: we keep up the tradition!

History

Movie facts

The first public cinema screening took place at De Gouden Arend (Vlamingstraat) in 1896!
The first true cinema in Bruges opened in 1909 and was named Cinema Pathé
Bruges had 17 cinemas in the early 1900s
An admission ticket cost you 50 centimes
Many cinemas closed their doors due to the advent of television

Let's hit rewind

Enjoy some pictures from the old cinema days

BRON foto’s: Erfgoed Brugge

Cinema Pathé

The very first true Bruges cinema was located on the marketplace and closed its doors shortly after World War II.

1955 à 1960

Cinema Ritz

Visitors join Cinema Ritz to attend the screening of the German film 'Himmel ohne Sterne' with actress Eva Kotthaus.

1954 à 1962

Cinema Capitole

The entrance to cinema Capitole in the Smedenstraat. Became Cinema Rembrandt from 1975 and Cinema Van Eyck from 1989.

1985

1915 à 1920

Cinema Forum

A quick peek inside Cinema Forum on Gaston Roelandtsplein in Assebroek.

1956

Cinema Royal

Now you'll find only stores and restaurants, but Cinema Royal used to be located on Steenstraat, the busiest street in the city.

1961

Cinema Memlinc

From 1985, you could watch movies on the big screen at Cinema Memlinc. The photo shows Hugo Stevens, alderman for culture, cutting the ribbon during the reopening ceremony of the renovated cinema hall. From 1985, you could watch movies on the big screen at Cinema Memlinc. The photo shows Hugo Stevens, alderman for culture, cutting the ribbon during the reopening ceremony of the renovated cinema hall.

Our own walk of fame

No stars on the ground, but stars on the wall. Real Hollywood stars complete our interior and adorn our walls. Steal with your eyes and get inspired during your lunch or dinner. Who knows, you might even feel like giving an old movie or a true classic a chance….