Odeon Cinema (I)

The original Odeon Cinema opened its doors on November 11, 1916 with the Herbert Blache film “The Burglar and the Lady” as the replacement of the older Metropol. The original Odeon Cinema was rebuilt in 1919, given a capacity increase to 285 seats and orchestra musicians given their own pit. It was originally owned by Hugo Sjögren, but unfortunately died in 1923 at the age of 36. His older brother Johan immediately took over.

The Odeon received multiple struggles for the next few years in the decade, as it was initially difficult to sign film contracts. Svensk Filmindustri (or the Sweden Film Industry in English) had a virtual monopoly on popular Nordic films, and had just taken over the nearby Imperial Cinema, also in Umeå. Rescue came from the United States after Johan Sjögren managed to get contracts with both Goldwyn Pictures (later Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and Fox Film (later 20th Century Fox), via the companies' branches in Stockholm. And by then the most famous Swedish filmmakers, Stiller and Sjöström, had been engaged by Hollywood.

As the arrival of sound came along, Sjögren went to the capital of Stockholm on a study visit, and decided to invest. For only $17,000 in Norwegian kronor or $1,660 in United States money, a sound system was immediately purchased from Germany, and was installed on January 29, 1930 with the first talkie being the “Fox Movietone Follies of 1929”. The breakthrough of sound films meant a boom for spoken Swedish films, at the expense of American ones, but coincided with the Great Depression. Odéon lost several of its contracts with American film companies, and in 1933, signed an agreement with Sveriges Förenade Biograf AB, thereby gaining access to Swedish films from Svea and Europa.

The original location closed in 1938 and was demolished for a newer Odeon Cinema at the same site. (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures)

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