Cinema museum in Girona, Spain

jalonsoEnglishchinese shadowscinemacinematographedaguerrotypegironahollywoodkatharine hepburnkodaklumièreSpaintomàs mallol

This afternoon, taking advantage of my trip to see the exposition about Katharine Hepburn at the Museum of Cinema of Girona, Spain, temporary shown from March 3rd to June 8th, I visited once more the permanent collection.
Hepburn’s exposition has a free access, but not the museum, despite there are many discounts to students (you must bring the international student card), and other membership cards like RACC, FNAC, and others.
If you never visited and you like cinema, it’s a recommended visit. I’ve been there 5 times with the visit of today, bringing different friends. I want briefly describe it to you:

  • The visit starts with an audiovisual very interesting, which might be either in Catalan, Spanish, English or French (you request your preference when buying your ticket).
  • You go to 3rd floor with an elevator, where there are many items which are considered cinema “prehistory”, from the articulated puppets used to project shadows (chinese shadows), until magic lanterns, going through the camera obscura, mirrors, the daguerrotype or the first Kodak camera. All this part of the expo is always centered on the capture or projection of the static image.
  • In the 2nd floor is where it is introduced the moving image: the Kaleidoscope, the Cinematograhe of the Lumière brothers of December 28th 1895 that would be the official date of starting the cinema history, and all inventions derived from early instant photographies which evolve into the capture of motion in images.
    There are some screenings of the considered first movies in the history (exit of the workers from the factory at Lyon – first screening in the history, the train arrival and the breakfast of a fanily and their young son), and also the first genious of the visual effects, Georges Méliès. I always missed our local genious Segundo de Chomón in the Museum. The sound, colour and formats are also shown here, and even the first TV broadcastings.
  • La 1st floor is the space for the amateur film makers, when cinema takes popularity and reached the masses, with cine NIC (the cinema for kids which appeared in Spain in the 30’s), the Bolex cameras, the projectors and the super 8mm format.

The collection Tomàs Mallol shown at the Girona museum, counts with 1,500 items, 9 audiovisual projections and 21 interactive elements (the collection reaches 20,000 objects, being specially important the objects of pre-cinematography, which is considered one of the most complete in the world). Compared to my last visit 4 years ago, there were new objects exposed, and I want to outline the temporary exposition of cinema objects of the personal collection of Maite Mínguez, truw jewels of the 7th art, and a few 3D interactive animations about how different techniques worked at the end of XIXth century and early XXth century.

The official web of the museum is: http://www.museudelcinema.org/

I am expectant waiting for the launch in a few months (I believe will be many months until that date), of the collection of Josep Mª Queraltó in Barcelona, which in my humble opinion, is even more complete on the objects related to the ones appearing after the Cinematographe than the one from Mallol.

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6 Replies to “Cinema museum in Girona, Spain”

  2. Last week I was on holiday in The Costa Brava and I made a special trip to visit the MUSEU del CINEMA in Girona. Being a lifelong Cinematograph enthusiast. May I say I was not dissapointed, What a fantastic array of all types of equipment relating to the cinema industry.
    What a pleasure it was to sit in the small intimate mini
    cinema´s and see films from the beginning of the movie.era
    right up to the present day.This was my third visit to the Museu and every visit was better than the previous.
    One could not believe how so many thousands of cine items
    can be assembled under one roof.
    Finally the assistance given by the staff was fantastic,
    roll on my next visit in 2009.

    Malcolm Cummings.Age 67.
    From Newcastle.on.Tyne England.

  3. While on holiday last week at Tossa De Marr I made A bus trip to Girona on Friday 5th, June to visit for the fourth time
    the “MUSEU DEL CINEMA GIRONA”. First of all may I say what a marvellous change with the construction of the new
    “RENFE” railway station building and the new bus station.
    When I arrived at the museu in the morning a party of school children also arrived at the same time they were under the supervision of their schoolteacher´s I expected the visit to be very noisy, this was not the case the
    children were fascinated with the images that were being
    projected on to the numerous screens throughout the museu. The schoolchildren listened intently to the spoken
    accompaniment.
    My own personal collection of cine equipment totals fifty
    items mostly from the 1950´s and fails into significance when
    compared the the fantastic “TOMAS MALLOL COLLECTION”
    comprising of over 1500 items. This has been another and a very informative visit that I have enjoyed.
    I am very impressed with the Education Department of Girona for introducing cinema history into the childrens school lessons.
    finally the museu staff were very pleasant and helpful as usual.

    1. I agree on your comments.
      It´s a great collection.
      There is even a better one owned by Josep Maria Queraltó, founder of a company providing technology to cinema exhibitors (so he had access during 50 years to those elements). Mr Queraltó collection has been shown sometimes in different events around the country (mostly in Barcelona where he has his residence), and is looking for a permanent location like Tomàs Mallol´s one in Girona. Many rumours have been published during last years, but the collection is still pending of a final emplacement for permanent show. IMHO, is the best cinema collection I have news of, with original products from Lumière Brothers, Edison and some of them, are unique objects.

  4. Hello Jordi,
    Thank you for your comment´s on my small review of my recent visit to the “CINE MUSEU GIRONA”
    With reference to “Joseph Maria Queralto” would you please
    keep me informed when a permanent building has been found to display his massive cinematography collection.

    Kindest regards. Malcolm Cummings.

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