In 1977, the theatre was in terrible shape. The impressive cut stone facia had been demolished and the overhanging metal marquee removed. Inside, rain consistently fell through the roof into the upstairs auditorium.
In 1978, brothers David and James Bramante acquired the cinema. Through careful film selection, the West Newton Cinema developed a fine reputation. The 'GBH Members Magazine wrote "Without fanfare, the West Newton Cinema has been a model of intelligent and sophisticated European programming, including, best of all, films from countries whose product rarely gets shown. Any theatre can chance movies from France or England, but only the West Newton premiered features in 1990 from India and Iceland." The Boston Globe Calendar wrote "that niche is their programming - foreign films or the latest Woody Allen - which cater to sophisticated, slightly older audiences." And the TAB gave credit to where credit is truly due; to the cinema’s "moviegoers with intelligence, a rarity these days."
In 1990, the Bramante brothers expanded the cinema into a six screen facility. The two new theatres (see photo above) were ingeniously fitted into what had been empty space a level above what had once been the main stage. Thus, the new theatres were built without any sacrifice of space. These two theatres from 1990 are intimate in size, yet have a formidable screen presence of 10x18, and revive the art deco flavor in a colorful manner. Ed Symkus, film reviewer for the TAB described the two 1990 theatres as having "a funky and comfy art deco style."
At the end of 1997, on the 60th anniversary of the cinema and as the 20th year of their ownership was about to begin, the brothers began to plan the second phase of their enhancements. Whereas the first phase had focused on new construction, this second phase would focus on renovation, particularly those elements of the theatre that would increase patron’s comfort, such as larger, more comfortable seating. These renovations are ongoing at this very moment, and the final result will be that all six auditoriums will be as comfortable as the ones built in 1990. These ongoing renovations are detailed elsewhere on this web site.
On the subject of web sites, in 1991 the West Newton Cinema became the first movie theatre in New England to offer our schedule to PC users via modem, on a dial-up online service called Flix, Pages & Tunes!. We are proud to be back online, now in the convenient world of the world wide web. Our thanks go out to our friend Vince Valentine, our Chief Administrative Assistant Will Bueche and our webmaster Lee Sonko for their efforts in this regard.
Most of all, we are grateful to all the people from the villages of Newton and the towns and cities beyond who have made the West Newton Cinema a part of their lives. We are here thanks to you!
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