Cult of Distraction: On Berlin's Picture Palaces

The large picture houses in Berlin are palaces of distraction; to call them movie theaters (Kinos) would be disrespectful. The latter are still abundant only in Old-Berlin and in the suburbs where they serve neighborhood audiences, and even there they are declining in number. Much more than such movie houses or even the ordinary theaters, it is the picture palaces, those optical fairylands, which are shaping the face of Berlin. The UFA palaces above all the one at the Zoo the Capitol built by Poelzig, the Marmorhaus and whatever their names may be, enjoy sell-outs day after day. The newly built GloriaPalast proves that the style initiated by these palaces is still developing in the same direction.'