Movies

I decided to see a film before leaving Barcelona. About.com lists a few movie theatres in Barcelona that show subtitled films. It's my understanding that Europe's Latin countries are more fond of showing dubbed foreign films, whereas its Anglo-Saxon countries tend to show subtitled ones. Since I don't speak Spanish, a "VO" film (version originale) in English or French with Spanish subtitles was in order.

I finally found that the Casablanca Theatre (the name seemed fitting) was showing a French film that I've been meaning to see for about a year: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis. The film was THE movie sensation of the year last year in France, and I just kept missing it. As expected, the film was an absolute delight, and the theatre reminded me of the small center-city theatres I used to frequent in France.

In comparison, Morocco doesn't seem to have the same movie theatre culture. Moroccans certainly enjoy films, as evidenced by the roving vendors of pirated DVDs that are on just about every street in Rabat. There are only two movie theatres in Rabat, and the selection of films is limited. The Institut Francais de Rabat sponsors a film each week, which is reasonable. There are more theatres in Casa, however. Apparently, there's a district with theatres that only show pirated films. There, it's possible to see American films before they come out it America, it seems.

I've asked Moroccan friends if they think this disrespect for intellectual property is holding Morocco back, since what is evident in the world of cinema is surely evident in other realms too. The answer is always "no", but I admit to having a hard time knowing what's to be gained, in the very least by permitting theatres to operate that way. In Sidney Poitier's memoires, he mentions sneaking into the theatres as a child since he couldn't afford to pay for a ticket. Perhaps saving Moroccans the humiliation of sneaking around is worth something. It's difficult, however, to see how a laissez-faire attitude toward intellectual property will benefit the country in the long run.