A herbalist’s shop over 200 years old, France’soldest hardware store, the remains of a 2,500-year-old vineyard… La Ciotat is brimming with treasures steeped in history. And while we’re on the subject of old places, did you know that the world’s oldest working cinemais less than an hour from Marseille? A true testament to the beginnings of the 7ᵉ art, theEden Théâtre in La Ciotat is one of the most emblematic sites in the history of the Lumière family.Embark on a timeless escapade worthy of the greatest films.
La Ciotat, the cradle of cinema
To understand La Ciotat‘s decisive role in the emergence of cinema, we need to go back to the end of the XIXᵉ century. It was at this time thatAntoine Lumière, father of the famous Lumière brothers, settled here and befriended Raoul Gallaud, owner of the Eden Théâtre. Built in 1889, the venue was already a great success, hosting plays, music hall shows and even Greco-Roman wrestling matches.
The Palais Lumière, the family’s vacation home, became one of the very first film sets in the history of cinema. Having just patented the Cinématographe, Louis Lumière shot a dozen films there, following on from La Sortie des usines Lumière, made in Lyon.
Seduced by the first screening, organized in an intimate setting at the château, Raoul Gallaud suggested repeating the experience a few days later. This time at the Eden Théâtre, to a larger audience. Despite a session interrupted by technical problems, the audience was enthusiastic. The Lumière brothers continued their experiments, and in December 1895 organized the first paying screening in Paris to be officially recognized by history. However, the Eden Théâtre will forever remain a discreet witness to the very first steps of an art form destined for success.
An iconic cinema, between glory and drama
In the wake of the Lumière success, the Eden Théâtre held its first ticketed screening on March 21, 1899. Over the decades, the theater became a cultural mecca. Renowned artists such as Fernandel and Yves Montand took to the stage, helping to establish its reputation far beyond La Ciotat.
But the history of this emblematic cinema is not without drama. In March 1945, its facade was heavily damaged by the explosion of an underwater mine. Then, in December 1982, an attempted hold-up turned tragic and cost the cinema’s manager, Georges Giordana, his life. Weakened, the Eden Théâtre narrowly escaped closure and demolition in the 1980s and 1990s.
Festivals, worldwide recognition and a commemorative stamp
After so much hardship, the Eden Théâtre was reborn thanks to a renovation faithful to its original architecture, completed in 2013. Eight years later, it entered the prestigious Guinness Book of Records and was officially named the world’s oldest surviving cinema.
Today, this venue steeped in history continues to keep the 7ᵉ art alive. It hosts three festivals each year, including the Festival du Premier Film de La Ciotat – Berceau du cinéma, and is open to visitors. In fact, the association Les Lumières de l’Eden offers tourist tours with a program including a discovery of the theater, a film screening on the history of Eden and the birth of cinema in La Ciotat. The Eden Théâtre is also home to an art house cinema, with “Heritage and Repertoire” and “Young Audiences” labels.
And soon, this monument to cinema will be inviting itself onto your envelopes. To mark the 130th anniversary of the Cinématographe, La Poste is planning to issue stamps bearing the effigy of the Eden Théâtre. A symbolic and moving tribute to a mythical place, and to those who invented the magic of cinema.