New People Cinema, San Francisco, 2014 | © Franck Bohbot

Movie Theaters

The Paramount Theatre III, Oakland, California, 2014 | © Franck Bohbot
Franck Bohbot, The Paramount Theatre III, Oakland, California, 2014

These have been making the rounds on tumblr. I like them—quite a bit actually. At the same time I can’t help comparing them to Sugimoto and trying to figure out why I like Sugimoto’s better.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Movie Theatre,Canton Palace, Ohio, 1980
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Movie Theatre,Canton Palace, Ohio, 1980

It’s not because my first reaction was “Sugimoto in color.” This isn’t color vs. black and white nor is it a who-did-it-better thing. Whereas Sugimoto’s photos use the screen itself as the only light source, most of Bohbot’s photos are taken with the house lights on—resulting in photos which are about the theatre itself, not the movie’s impact on the theatre. And I think that’s the difference. Bohbot reminds me of the joy of anticipation and settling in to watch a movie in a classic theatre. Sugimoto reminds me of losing myself in the movie.