The cinema Verdensteatret in Tromsø is a century of film history

Maybe you remember Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1987 film Cinema Paradiso, a love declaration to the pre-TV film era? Another film manuscript waiting to be written might be about Verdensteatret – ‘the World Theatre’ – on Tromsø’s main street, Storgata. A surprisingly grand and stylish cinema from 1916, it has managed to survive the transition to talking pictures, the war, and Tromsø’s post-war building boom. These days, Verdensteatret strikes back, uniting the fellowship of film in Tromsø

The façade is a gem on Tromsø’s main street

When you do what the Tromsøites love most – strolling down Storgata – Verdensteatret is one of the main street’s most striking sights. The cinema’s façade shows several influences: the windows are typical of Art Nouveau, the dominating columns hint at classicism, and the light, elegant design details are Louis Seize-inspired. The classical columns divide the façade into three sections, with the central part crowned by a mansard roof that resembles a tower.

The auditorium is a separate, rectangular structure attached to the façade building and extending down to the parallel street, Havnegata. All of it was designed by the city architect, Peter Arnet Amundsen.

Indoors, it is surprisingly well preserved

The various parts of the building are in different states of preservation. Inside the auditorium, most things remain as they were when the cinema was new. The seats, however, have been replaced several times, and the orchestra pit is covered to create a stage. The hallway Stenersenrommet, leading into the auditorium, is also fantastically well preserved, with black-and-white floor tiles. The toilets are also kept in the old style.

The front foyer, on the other hand, has been altered multiple times. Originally, a barber used most of the space, and cinema-goers would enter through today’s main door into a corridor with half a flight of stairs leading to the ticket booth, which then led into the Stenersenrommet – with immediate access to the auditorium.

Frescoes in warm colours adorn the auditorium.

In 1921, the Tromsø artist Sverre Mack painted frescoes on the walls in strong, warm colours. On each side, there are five wall segments, each representing a Norwegian folk song. In the 1920s, Norway produced many silent films with national romantic themes, and auditoriums were typically decorated with Norwegian-themed motifs. The frescoes require regular maintenance, and the auditorium itself could use a fresh coat of paint.

The film era started in 1898 in Tromsø

In 1898, a travelling projectionist showed the first moving pictures in Tromsø, causing a stir. Film screenings would attract large crowds in the following years, and in 1909, the first permanent cinema was established on Amtmandsgata – now the bar Bardus. The director, Thoralf Willumsen, proudly announced that they could project the same films as in Christiania – Oslo, that is. Being on par with the southerners has somehow always been important to us. And the money poured in; people could not get enough of this new medium.

New mediums need to be controlled

As with any new medium, people were concerned. Was it really a good idea for working-class people to be exposed to all these impressions – political agitation or lewd scenes? Censorship and control were called for. While Tromsø Kinematograf refrained from the most improper films, we must suspect that economic gain was the primary factor. Films were a source of income the city had to have its share in. In 1913, a decision was made to build a larger cinema, owned by the city. Construction began in 1915, and building went fast.

The grand opening took place in 1916

On the 5th of June 1916, the cinema opened with the manager, Karl J. Hall, giving a summary of the building process. The city orchestra played an overture, and finally, the Swedish film Madame de Thèbes was shown. Four hundred people, a third with standing tickets, were inside. Many more were turned away due to lack of space. Tromsø’s cinema was one of the grandest in the country, ‘even admired by people from down south,’ as it was said.

Silent movies required live music

In the silent movie era, the musical accompaniment was crucial. A single pianist playing nocturnes to love scenes and Mendelssohn’s wedding march to an on-screen wedding could transform into a full orchestra. On one occasion, for the Norwegian film Lajla, a vocalist was engaged. However, this was hard work, and every mistake was commented on by the audience and the local press. The orchestra pit is the lowest, and thus the coldest, spot in the cinema.

In 1931, Love Parade with Maurice Chevalier was the first talkie, and a new era had begun. Of course, there were not only film screenings. Informal lectures, community gatherings, political meetings, and concerts have been held here from the beginning to this day.

Verdensteatret was a regular cinema for decades

Already in 1918, a new cinema was proposed, and the growing interest in film in the 1930s prompted the cinema board to search for a suitable location for a new cinema. The war and the frugal post-war years halted these plans, but in 1973, a large new cinema, Fokus, was opened. For many years, Verdensteatret served as the B-stage. When a Hollywood blockbuster could no longer fill the large Fokus auditorium, it was relegated to Verdensteatret.

The old lady diva a dazzling comeback

However, by 2004, when a modern multiplex cinema had replaced the grand auditorium of Fokus, Verdensteatret was no longer part of the regular municipal viewing programme. For a couple of years, only the local film club held screenings while discussions continued about how to keep this old cinema running. However, from 2006, the cinema was revitalised when the Tromsø International Film Festival took charge, and now Verdensteatret is always full of people.

Stenersen made sure things were in order

A legendary personality is the ticket collector Sigurd Stenersen. For a couple of generations of Tromsøites, he kept things in order and saw it as his job to stop giggling and babbling during the film. Too much laughter when queuing was also frowned upon, and you could end up being sent home. He is honoured by the foyer being named after him – Stenersenrommet – the “Stenersen room”.

A screening on the fast track

One of the stories told about the cinema is related to the Norwegian film Hud from 1987. This film, in the Scandinavian tradition with sparse dialogue and a lingering narrative, was run at a slightly faster speed because the projectionist had a bus to catch. Unfortunately, someone in the audience had seen the film before and snitched on him.

We heard this story in the front café, and frankly, we see no reason to have it verified. Not this one, nor any of the other stories told with a smirk over café tables in Tromsø.

Northern Europe’s oldest cinema in continuous use – maybe

Up north, we’re fond of superlatives. We have the most mountainous island in Northern Europe, the strongest tidal current in the world, and Norway’s largest Joker (a chain of small shops). This fondness for mildly unconventional superlatives extends to our cinema as well. Verdensteatret has been dubbed ‘The oldest cinema in continuous use in Northern Europe.’ However, this hasn’t been verified. How far south does ‘Northern Europe’ extend? Verdensteatret was only used a couple of days a week for a few years—does that count as continuous? But one superlative is true: the cinema was the first in the country to be listed as a historic monument.

Verdensteatret is a sanctuary to film history

When Hollywood pulls out all the stops with nerve-wracking car chases and star wars, the swanky modern Fokus Cinema, just a few hundred meters away, boasts better facilities. Instead, Verdensteatret is now the meeting place for true cinephiles. The film club, bringing together the city’s film fanatics, holds screenings most days of the week.

Cinemateket – The Cinematheque – is a national institution dedicated to showcasing the entire history of film. In Tromsø, they, of course, run their screenings at Verdensteatret. Visitors to Tromsø can therefore join the city’s film enthusiasts for a taste of gems from film history.

Film history is displayed – and made

In spring, the Stumfilmdagene – silent movie days go even further back in history. Then, the old cinema has a chance to reunite with the films it showed in its youth. The experience can be truly authentic, with a professional pianist hammering away on the keys as the bankrobbers escape and playing softly and delicately in the love scenes. Newly composed music – whether from a symphony orchestra or a rock band – offers a striking contrast.

The Nordic Youth Film Festival – NUFF – is all about the future. It showcases short films made in Tromsø during the festival by directors under 26 years old. Thus, the old cinema can still inspire the young.

TIFF is the pinnacle of the Verdensteatret year

Nothing, though, fills the cinema with life in the same way as the Tromsø International Film Festival. For a whole week in January, screenings start early in the morning and finish after midnight. Every seat in the foyer café is taken, and there is a constant buzz of film discussions around the high tables.

Even after the official end of the festival, cinephiles return for extra screenings of particularly popular festival films. The old lady seems to handle the whole ordeal with grace. The festival is popularly shortened to TIFF, and if you want to fit in, you can casually toss around this acronym.

How can you visit Verdensteatret?

Most visitors pass by and take photographs of the lovely façade. Quite a few also visit the café in the foyer. This film-themed establishment – of course – serves beer and coffee to a quiet crowd, noses buried in newspapers. Come Friday night, though, all hell breaks loose, and a young-ish crowd dances on the granite tiles to whatever the DJ plays. Getting into the auditorium can be tricky; the best way is to go and see a film.

The most important thing is that Verdensteatret is still alive. Cinema Paradiso ended up as a parking lot, while Verdensteatret may still have the best ahead.

This article is meant as a presentation of Verdensteatret to visitors in Tromsø. The sources include a talk with previous bar manager and filmmaker Erling Falch, the booklet published at the 35th anniversary of Verdensteatret and an article written by museum director Astrid Fremmerlid in an antology called Tromsøboka – den tredje.