Małe kino jako miejsce antropologiczne i mityczne. Literackie i filmowe przedstawienia małego kina jako świadectwa antropologiczne
‘Small space cinema’ as an anthropological and mythological place. Literary and film images as the anthropological testimony.

Summary/Abstract: The subject of this article is ‘small space cinema,’ which is situated in opposition to ‘large space cinema’ – the symbol of our times. In Marc Aug’s term ‘small space cinema’ is an anthropological place, which has its own identity, is symbolic and is able to create communion (or bonds) between the spectators during the projection. ‘Small space cinema’ refers to the tradition of cinŽ-clubs, which were founded in France in the 1920s and have all but disappeared. This type of cinema is not found in large numbers, but is quite popular because it is part of the contemporary ‘nostalgia’ for ‘retro’ things and places. In Roland Barthes’ interpretation, the ‘small space cinema’ is also a kind of ‘mythological’ place; this means that each element of the projection room (the screen, the seat, the darkness) has its own significance. Many depictions of ‘small space cinemas’ can be found in literature, poetry and film, which points to the anthropological and mythological character of these spaces. I call these works ‘anthropological testimonies.’ They all evoke common elements: a small space, coziness, privacy intimacy, the darkness; they have common functions: space for a date (also entertainment?) These literary, poetic, and filmic descriptions evoke the idea of the ‘small cinema’ as ‘home’ or ‘asylum’, which can be compared to the Gaston Bachelard’s theory of ‘oniric home’. The element of the darkness can be referred to as the ‘rčgime nocturne’ of Gilbert Durand. In the conclusion, the author returns to the three emblematic images of ‘small cinema’: Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso, Trenet’s Mon vieux cinč and K. I. Gałczyński’s poem Małe kina. These three examples simultaneously reinforce and create an ideal mythological and anthropological model of this kind of cinema. All of these images can be defined by the convention of kitsch which generally contribute to the popularity.

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