The Brattle Theatre

This quirky, single-screen cinema has been operating since 1953. The Brattle was originally designed as a live theater until it was converted into one dedicated to movies. When it underwent the change, the decision was made to build a rear-screen projection booth, meaning the projector would be stationed behind the screen. This was done to preserve the theatre’s balcony and so that the booth wasn’t to close to the wooden roof. 

The theatre became a haunt for young Humphrey Bogart fans during the 1950s and 1960s. The theater made it a tradition to show Bogart’s films during Harvard’s final exam week. Harvard students would come out in droves to watch his films as a break from studying. They became known as as the “Bogie Cult.” 

The Brattle Theatre turned into a nonprofit in 2001 and still remains a single-screen cinema. It’s still the ideal place to view old and new films.