1964 Tbilisi, Georgia

Lia Tatishvili

1949

Tbilisi, Georgia

Interviewed on 20.02.2021

By Mikheil Gabashvili

Back in the ’50s and ’60s, going to see foreign movies was perhaps one of the most popular fun activities we could do in Georgia. Everybody in my town was raving about films. Since we were a part of the USSR back then, we rarely ever got to experience the world beyond our borders. We were always on the lookout for new films to watch – new to us, at least. It could take years for a new Hollywood sensation to reach our movie theaters. Our main one at the time was called Rustaveli Movie Theatre, which never stopped functioning. They would often host events where they would screen various movies from Italy, Hollywood, France… 

I remember how difficult it was to attend the premieres at Rustaveli. You would have to wait in line for two hours just to get a ticket. We would usually plan to arrive just before the beginning of a film screening so that we could get a ticket for the next one. New movies would come out on Mondays and Thursdays; then they would spread around in the smaller theatres. 

The first film that I remember seeing was La Strada, starring Giulietta Masina. I think I was fifteen years old at the time. Me and my classmates, Marina and Nana, decided to skip school to attend an Italian film event. We would do this quite often, I’m afraid. We would sneak out on our long recess and walk to the nearby theatre. Sometimes, half the school would skip class to see a certain movie. It got to the point where a teacher would walk to the movie theatre, interrupt the screening, and light up the entire auditorium to force the kids to go back to school. 

Perhaps, the day I saw La Strada is still stuck in my mind because the three of us were fooled by a police officer who sold us his previous day’s tickets outside the theatre. Luckily, the ushers believed us and let us attend the screening anyway. We walked into the auditorium, shaped like an amphitheater, embellished with burgundy curtains and comfortable seats. The hall would always smell bad since there was little to no ventilation. Rustaveli theatre was a great building nonetheless. It had a food court on the first floor, where you would buy things like flavored lemonade, khachapuri (traditional Georgian pastry), eclairs, etc. I still remember the taste of those eclairs. At the time I thought they were the best dessert in the whole world. 

As with every other movie, the screening was preceded by a short communist propaganda documentary. Even though I do not remember much of the plot, I can recall that it made me feel a bit uneasy. I believe that at the time, neither I nor my friends could fully grasp the emotional depths of the film. Indeed, this session was different from the usual fun experience we would get while skipping school. We were only used to seeing comedic or romantic movies with leads like Sofia Loren. Still, I was very impressed by Masina’s acting. I was touched after discovering the great sadness behind her seemingly comedic disposition. I highly disliked Zampano in the movie. The one scene that lives vividly in my mind is when Gelsomina, the main character, is being taken away from her family. Because of Gelsomina’s bad treatment, the plot seemed too heavy for me. When I grew older, I rewatched the film which changed my entire perspective on it.

Talking about going to the movies as a teenager feels quite nostalgic for me. I saw all the classics of the 20th century, Gone with the Wind, The Magnificent Seven… I remember all this experience very fondly and love to revisit some of the movies I saw in the past.