THE CINEMA AT SALONIKA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2768, 11 May 1916, Page 6

THE CINEMA AT SALONIKA

MEETING PLACE OF QUEER LANGUAGE

(By G. Ward Price, in the "Daily News.") „ Salonika, March 2. it you came out here to look lor an othcer in the Salonika force, and knew neither his whereabouts nor the name of Ins unit, there would still remain ono excellent chance of finding kim-and that would bo to go and sit iu Floca's till he came in, for Flora's is the forum and trysting-place of the Allied armies in the Ualkans, their social focus, their common meeting-ground, and the resort of their leisure hours. Moca's in peace-time-as one knew it four years ago, for instance —was just a commonplace cafe, with no more: than the modest distinction of being the best of such establishments in

Its fortunate proprietor, who, like so many others'here, is literally making a anal fortune has to thank two of fh6 most cherished Allied institutions-the Pm,ifk? hc " ro de I '»P e «tif and tho i:fn? S -l fe S ora , ttt Fr °m four o clock till eight Floca's, yard for yard In TLll y r «'an any spot in Salonika. It is an epitome of the commissioned ranks of.the Allied, armies! Place of Rumours, Humour, unlike tho clients of the establishment, circulates with lreedom nmone tho close-wedged tables. "Of court theres probably not a word of truth in* it, but have you heard that—?" nn ß sailor informs another how the' "buzzabout tho Austrian fleet coining out got started the other day. A Frenchman who has received a "tuyau" about impending events of the greatest importance argues in vain to convince an Englishman who has had a "straight tip" of an exactly contrary nature. The iniquities of Greektradesmen, the auisance of the prevailing rains, and the eternal question, "'hens something . going to happen here? are only three- topics among a hundred that are being discussed at once. ■■ .

I'locas would hardly be a commercial success as a tcashop if it were bodily transported to Bond Street. Its interior is gloomy and often fuggy. Its entrance is beset by an importunate Jior'de of ragged urchins attempting to thrust local newspapers into your hand, or the London papers of three weeks ago at six times their native price; its Greek waiters, of 6inister aspect, only condescend to serve when thoir attention is attracted by a series of sharp hand-claps or a penetrating P-s-s-t,' both of them noises which self-conscious Englishmen find it hard to make in public. ..^hil ß tea and microscopic, eclairs at threepence each thus procure for the oflicer at Salonika a faint illusion of civilisation, the men on their rare visits to town hud the same solace in tho kinematograpn.

In gratitude for their patronage the managements of these establishments make well-meaning / efforts to render programmes into English. The original text, winch fills the whole of one side is in Greek. A second .version is provided in Judaeo-Spanish,- which is Span-ish-written in Hebrew characters, as if to make it more difficult. Turn over the page and you have the same in French . Iho . -■ l as t, side gives it you in English; but by the time the programme reaches this nnal edition it has been translated so'many times'as to'have lost almost all intelligible meaning. A "Siny" Drama.' Here i s a literal copy of the English version of the bill which is being. distributed at the principal local, theatres this week: '. . ' A EOYAL SINN. Powerfull sihy drama, in 3 long reels. FAB OP EYES NEAR OF THE HEARTH. ■■■■.• A whonderfull Drama, in 3 parts, adapted from P. llael's roman. (This is. intended-for a. translation .of the French title: "loin des veui, pros du coeur.") '' ' A COMICAL. " It says a good deal for the good behaviour of tho new English Army that, although troops of three nationalities, hardly any of them understanding a word of tho other's tongues, have been concentrated round Salonika all the winter, there have been eo few instances of rows between them. Nothing more cordial could be imagined than the relations of our men with the French. ■

■ Tho men of the two armies who come into the town on leave fraternise in the cafes over glasses of washy beer. Each group addresses the other in its own language, speaking very loudly: and distinctly and in simple' terms, with a good deal of reiteration, but as the only words they have in common are tho names of towns conversation is almost entirely restricted to geographical comparisons. Frenchman: Yous avez passe par Marseille? Je dis, est-ce-que vous connaissez Marseille? MARSEILLE?

Englishman: Oh, Marseilles—yes. . Oui. Marseilles all right. Bong, Marseilles. (Pause.) We come hero from Rouong. Kouong, see? Nous-cpme-from-Rouon;,-, eompris?

Frenchman: Mais uaturellement, Rouen. Gharmante ville. Qu'est-ce-que vous pcnser de Salonique? SALONIQLE? Englishman: Oh, Salon-I-ka, you mean. Holten. Pas bong, Salonique.