New Theatre
4120 Laguna Street,
Coral Gables,
FL
33134
4120 Laguna Street,
Coral Gables,
FL
33134
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The Astor Cinema was opened in February of 1992 with “Cinema Paradiso”. Located in Coral Gable’s tony design district, the theater’s highly successful booking policy featured independent, avant garde, foreign, and high quality commercial moveovers played on a split schedule (separate admission for each show).
Proprietor Lorenzo L. Rodriguez brought back to his South Florida roots the benefits of having managed two of Greenwich Villages most famous movie theaters: the Bleecker Street Cinemas and the Angelika Film Center.
The Astor did quite well despite brutal competition from two nearby multiplexes in what has traditionally been an underperforming market for specialty pictures. Mr. Rodriguez transferred the lease to his successor who continued the winning formula for another ten years. Eventually, the Astor became the New Theatre, a live theater.
Contributed by
Lorenzo L. Rodriguez
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
It’s a shame this theater no longer exists. Just as I became old enough to drive and acquired a license, it closed, so I was largely unable to capitalize on it. But based upon my one visit to it in 1995, to see “Hotel Sorrento,” the theater was impressive, with bright projection, movable masking, and crisp audio, although the surround speakers were located exclusively on one side of the auditorium (I believe it was the right side). The lobby was pleasant and the atmosphere was nice, but the main attraction was this venue’s programming. Lots of South Florida exclusives here, from Bille August’s “Jerusalem,” to the aforementioned “Hotel Sorrento,” to Theo Van Gogh’s “1900,” to the reissue of “Last Tango in Paris,” and so forth.
In its final days, it became more mainstream, holding onto and milking whatever it could get from crossover hits like “Chocolat” and “All About My Mother” — stuff you could see at any multiplex. This is almost always a bad omen for theaters like this. Too bad. Now that Astor and many theaters like it (the Alliance) have disappeared from South Florida, there is a tangible void in the variety of film programming down here. Megaplexes like the Regal South Beach 18 may play mass-distributed crossover “indies” and foreign films, but you won’t find the kind of alternatives there that were offered at the Astor.
I believe this was aka as ‘The Arcadia’. Saw screenings of The Miami Film Festival here that were held for press members and very many films during it’s normal operation. It was very appreciated for all the art/foreign programming.
Its sister theatre was also in Coral Gables a few miles away called ‘The Cinematheque’, also showing art/foreign films.
This same owner opened another same film type house on the uppermost level of an intimate outdoor mall in the heart of Coconut Grove, Fl.
I don’t recall the name. It was not a success for very long and closed. Several Miami Film Festival pre-screenings were also held here.
After it was called ‘The Arcadia’ it became known as ‘The Absinthe’.
I like the name “Absinthe” for a theatre. Wonderfully decadent.
Are you sure you’re not confusing this theater with another? There was the Grove Cinematheque on Alcazar Avenue, which closed in the late ‘80s/early '90s and reopened in the late '90s, under new ownership, as the Alcazar Cinematheque, which later became the Absinthe House Cinematheque, which has since closed and become a venue exclusively for live theatre (much like the Astor Cinema).
Are you sure you’re not confusing this theater with another? There was the Grove Cinematheque on Alcazar Avenue, which closed in the late ‘80s/early '90s and reopened in the late '90s, under new ownership, as the Alcazar Cinematheque, which later became the Absinthe House Cinematheque, which has since closed and become a venue exclusively for live theatre (much like the Astor Cinema).
If memory serves, here’s the succession order:
Cinema Take One (early 80s)
Arcadia (mid 80s, along with the Cinematheque in Coral Gables and the short-lived Grove Harbour in Coconut Grove, run by Miami Film Festival founder Nat Chediak: he had a tiny framed quote in the lobby that gave the literary source for “Arcadia,” sorry, I’ve forgotten)
Lumiere Cinema (late 80s, early 90s)
Astor Cinema
New Theatre (due to move in 2006, due to pending redevelopment)
The New Theatre (they’re used to moving, but still hope for a permanent home) will now relocate to Coconut Grove… and if memory gives a second helping, I think to the former Grove Harbour space!
I saw Pasolini’s SALO, 100 DAYS OF SODOM at the Arcadia, the most offensive movie I have seen to date, and was shocked the place wasn’t getting closed down.
The Grove Cinema (Intermedia) on Virginia Street was first in the tiny arthouse cycle and it then moved around the corner to Grand operated by the Fabulous Flying Fendleman Brothers.
The Cinematheque (Merry Go Round, Alcazar, Absinthe House ) followed, operated by Nat Chediak.
Of course, the Wometco Mayfair, Parkway and Sunset predated all these as Florida’s premier arthouses.
I have now entered the Absinthe House.
Correction:
I opened the Astor in 1990 and returned to NYC in 1992.
Also, for the record, I chose the name Astor so it would appear above nearby Bakery Center and Cocowalk at the top of the Miami Herald’s movie clock.
Best, Lorenzo (Hialeah High, Class of 1980)
Maybe it should be called the Not New Theatre!