The Tuschinski Theatre in Amsterdam: A Stunning Art Deco Cinema

Abraham Icek Tuschinski was born in 1898 in Brzeainy, a small town near Lodz in Poland.  His father was a tailor and so, naturally, Abraham Icek also became a tailor.   But he was not satisfied with what he regarded as his limited life prospects.  He longed for greater things, and so, like generations of immigrants before and since,  he set his sights on America - the land of the free!

However, once Tuschinski arrived in Rotterdam he was impressed by the commercial opportunities of that city and so his American adventure was cancelled.  This was fortuitous for Amsterdam, but tragic for Tuschinski, as we shall see.

Abraham Tuschinski was a keen observer of current trends, and in Rotterdam the cinema was a new craze.  With the force of his powerful personality and his business associates, this self-taught Jewish tailor opened four cinemas in Rotterdam in the twinkling of an architectural eye!

Tuschinski was married  - whilst taking the tour of the Tuschinski Theatre which inspired this article  I did not have my notebook so unfortunately the marriage details are sketchy. However, if I remember correctly, I believe he married in Poland and sent for his wife once he was established.  

Tuschinski, like many businessmen then and now, took a mistress - I do remember that detail - and his wife turned a blind eye.  It was accepted that the family was uppermost -  all business dealings and profits had to be kept in the family. Coming from poverty, the wider picture and the future for the family was the central concern.

Tuschinski, like any entrepreneur with blood in his veins, was soon looking for new opportunities.  In 1917 he moved to Amsterdam in the company of his two brothers-in-law.  He checked out the area and saw that it was good! 

In 1918, knowing exactly what he wanted, ("the best people. the best ideas and the best materials" ), he began to oversee the construction of a massive, Art Deco  cinema which would cost four million guilders.

According to our guide at the Tuschinski Theatre, the area in which Tuschinski decided to build his theatre was a run-down area which housed the poor and marginalised.  His business partners advised him that this would not be a good place to build a respectable theatre, nor would it attract the appropriate clientele!

But Tuschinski was a stubborn man.  He had spent days walking around the area, undecided as to where he would build his dream.  

This would be the place!  Just between the Munt tower and what is now the buzzing Rembrandt Square. No matter that it meant demolishing the homes of residents, no matter that they put up a valient fight!   So valient in fact that Tuschinski was eventually forced to pay some of them compensation. 

Once they were gone, the building began.

Isn't this an amazing photograph.  I can testify that the foyer of the Tuschinski Theatre really does look as wonderful as this.

The carpet that you see is not the original - the plans for the original carpet were lost - but in 1984 the remains of the original were removed and rewoven in Morocco, using the same thread.  The colours were also identical.

This carpet is 50m long - it was flown in one piece to Amsterdam by a KLM plane and strong students from the local art school were commissioned to get it through the door!

The wonderful ceiling light in the foyer changes colour to represent the different times of the day.  Nowadays it is enabled by LED lights - but originally ordinary light bulbs were used and had to be replaced very regularly!

As you move up the stairs and into the main auditorium the feeling that your are entering into another world is overwhelming.

These murals pictured above were only discovered during the restoration of 1998-2002 .  Workers were scraping away at paint on the upper balcony when an eye appeared!  After careful scraping full figures appeared which had previously been covered over.

According to our guide, a contemporary relative of Tuschinski recognised female relatives of the family - apparently they had been the inspiration for the mural.

As you can see, the benches in this upper balcony are not velvet, but wood, unlike the lush velvet seating below.  Tuschinski decided that they were not comfortable enough for the public and so they were never used!  He was a very particular man...

Everywhere you look in the wonderful Tuschinski Theatre there are symbols of hope and optimism. No doubt after the First World War Europe needed a boost.

Some of the wall lamps are shaped like a chrysalis  from which a butterfly will eventually emerge.  And caterpillars, lit from within, adorn the walls. 

The whole atmosphere of this magical environment is permeated by hope for the future, by the eternal optimism of the poor immigrant who is not afraid to dream, to be ruthless,  and work hard.

It is quite sobering to be surrounded by such beauty, opulence and creativity only then to be told that Abraham Icek Tuschinski, who could have flourished in America,  was murdered in a Nazi concentration camp.

The Nazis could not even bear the Polish-Jewish name of his cinema and renamed it the 'Tivoli'. 

But let us be grateful for the people of Amsterdam who have brought this jewel in their crown back to its former glory.  It is a fitting tribute to the optimism and the tenacity of Tuschinski.

Sources:

• A tour of the Tuschinski Theatre - it takes place every first Sunday of the month.
• This website is quite useful for a brief history and details of how to book a seat.
• The magnificent photograph of the Tuschinski Theatre foyer with carpet, was made available on Wikimedia by  Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA)