Entertainment and architecture: the Beaubien in three stages

Located in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough, the Beaubien cinema was inaugurated on December 3, 1937. It was designed by Montreal architect Maxwell Myron Kalman in a modern streamline style.

The beginnings in 1937

The Beaubien cinema (theater) is a charming 700-seat auditorium that is said to be fireproof, the great scourge of cinemas at the time. Equipped with all modern comforts, it was one of the first in Montreal to be fitted out for talking-cinema ^acoustics1. 

Opening night featured the premiere of the French film Abus de confiance, about Lydia, a young orphan posing as the daughter of a wealthy historian, and the Franco-German feature Prend la route, a typical production of 1930s operetta ^cinema2.  

The arrival of the Beaubien fills a growing need for entertainment in a rapidly expanding neighborhood. But access to European films became increasingly difficult with the outbreak of the Second World War. France-Film, owner of the cinema since its opening, sold it to the Odéon company in ¹⁹⁴¹³.

The Dauphin era (1964-2001)

In 1964-1965, the Beaubien became the Dauphin cinema. In addition to a refurbishment and the addition of an auditorium, the Dauphin offered its audience the best French films of the day. According to newspapers hailing Odéon's initiative, it met a real need in ^Montreal4. But as the years went by, the Dauphin's programming ^diversified5.  

Some will remember the days of Le Dauphin and its candy-pink façade in the^1980s-19906. Undergoing major renovations in 1987, the main entrance on the corner of the street was reinstated as it was when it first opened in 1937. The current marquee and window were also brought up to date with the ^period7.  

An unexpected rescue

In 2000, Cinéplex Odéon was on the verge of ^bankruptcy8. Threatened with closure, the cinema was saved thanks to the concerted action of local residents and merchants. With the support of gouvernement du Québec, Ville de Montréal and the ^CDEC9 of Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, the Corporation de développement le Dauphin, a social economy enterprise incorporated as an NPO, was founded in 2001. Today, it is known as Cinéma ^Beaubien10.  

Gradually renovated, it now has five screens. A rare neighborhood cinema still in existence in Montreal, the Beaubien is also one of the most popular thanks to its selection of Quebec and repertory films. 

References: 
1 Les caractéristiques du nouveau cinéma français Beaubien, L'Illustration Nouvelle, December 4, 1937, p.11 
2 Opening night at the Beaubien cinema, L'Illustration Nouvelle, December 2, 1937, p.8 
3http://www.cinemaparlantquebec.ca/Cinema193 0-52/pages/textbio/Textbio.jsp?textBioId=54
4 Photo-journal tout par l'image, December 23, 1964, p.30   
5 According to the Marquise du Dauphin, we present Il était une fois dans l'ouest (1973) - Italian-American film; Les Gremlins 2 (1990) - American film, etc.  
6 See the Cinéma de Montréal Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=4326683604057309&set=pcb.4326683977390605 
7 Odile Tremblay, À l'ombre des mégaplex, le Dauphin résiste, La presse, October 23, 1999, C. Cinéma C2 ; 
8 Le devoir, Article by Odile Tremblay, February 16, 2001, Page(s) complémentaire(s) B10 
9 Corporation du Développement Économique et Communautaire 
10 See: https://www.arrondissement.com/tout-get-document/u1229-dauphin-beaubien and https://www.arrondissement.com/tout-get-document/u1424-nouveaux-developpements-cinema-beaubien 

Cover photo credit: Inauguration of the Beaubien Theatre, December 3, 1937, BAnQ Fonds La Presse, P833,S3,D211_0003_1