Beverley: Paris’s Last Boob‑Barade
Picture a dimly‑lit, narrow Left‑Bank alley where the Vibey & Voyeur – the Beverley cinema – kept Paris buzzing with 70s and 80s porn flicks for nearly a half‑century.
Now the rent’s gone up, adult‑content rules changed, and the Buddinǵ is finally heading for the landline. Fans have only a few days to grab a cheap souvenir while the place still has anything-left-to‑sell – from celluloid reels to the cracked out blue‑vinyl sofa seats.
Last Screening and the Great Sale
- Last Saturday was the traditional “couples‑night” final screening. The audience was a blend of curious folks and a wild, handful of babes a third of the crowd.
- Owner Maurice Laroche was there this week hustling for the last sale, promising “everything’s up for grabs, except me.”
- Men were busy packing boxes, snagging a massive speaker, or hungrily hunting for the last frames on wheel‑ed reels – all while the theatre’s brick‑in‑brick stydom filled with laughter and bold “going‑to‑get‑a‑new‑seat.”
Life‑Long Manager & a 75‑Year‑Old Saying “Retire”
La‑La‑La, Laroche had shown the Beverley for two decades, owning it for a decade and a half before. He’s 75, dreaming of relaxing at the oaky seaside town of Royan in Southwest France. “I’m pulling the curtain on my life’s greatest scene,” he said.
Tickets have plummeted – from 1,500 a week two decades ago to just under 500 today – mirroring the dwindling attendance of an aging clientele. He lamented that minutes “no child ever caught a click on the more … contemporary, sliding cam‑lookup comes.”
New Owners & The New “Gentrifying” Scene
A property developer has snatched the spot, probably looking to replace the adult “eek‑eek” vibes with something high‑end, like a designer hotel or tapas bar. But the reduction in the adult‑theme scene is a sign of the times.
According to the National Cinema Council in France, there’s only one X‑rated cinema left in France – the Vox in Grenoble. The Vox couldn’t be reached for comment, but it stands out as the lone bastion of “p” attractions.
Zimmer said that in 1975 900 French porn cinemas existed; by 1981 only 90 remained.
Return to the Small, The Bigger Empty Seat
Laroche will carry his “headful of memories,” a bold pair of red vinyl seats, out of the building, ready to wall them onto his new balcony balcony in the seafront.
