When the multiplexes
landed in the 1970s, squashing out anything smaller than them, the general
consensus was that this is innovation — building cinema cities where the most
amount of money can be made in one sitting.
The competition
presented by the multiplexes often put smaller theatres out of business, and
the race it seemed was over. But oh how things change, some 40 years later and
these multiplexes are known as extortionate, unpleasant giants.
Going to see the
latest blockbuster can now set you back £20, not too mention spending £6 for popcorn
whilst youths cause angst bye constantly droning throughout the film.
The price alone of a
night at the pictures has put even the most avid of movie lovers off. We now
prefer to wait for the DVD to come out, or watch it online. We are crying out
for reform, but what of those previously squashed out small movie theatres?
We are all looking
for a new movie experience, and these eclectic mix of previously shunned
cinemas are coming out of the dark and offering movie lovers a piece of
history; in a beguiling, romantic setting and not just conforming to showing
the latest smash hits.
After a summer of
open-top cinemas cropping up all over London, movie lovers were offered a
romanticized movie experience. With winter now in full swing, people are
looking for that idealistic film event again, and are finding force in the
plethora off small, independent cinemas hiding amongst the Goliaths.
Prince Charles
Cinema is one of the most successful independent screens in the country, with a
highly valid reputation in the Film industry for being quirky and innovative.
Built in 1961, and
once a porn cinema, the theatre boasts two screens, one a beautiful antique red
auditorium with 285 leather seats, and the other a new lavish purple screen
with 104 seats. If it’s ambience you want when going to the movies, Prince
Charles Cinema has lashings of it.
Often showing
complete movie marathons and old classics, the cinema even hosts sing-a-long
movie parties. This December you can enjoy a Mean Girls quota-long. With prices
starting at £1.50, which couldn’t even buy you a pack of peanuts at an Odeon,
Prince Charles Cinema is truly what the movies are about, a fun, exuberant
experience that you can revel in.
Another independent cinema
that has the multiplexes blushing is The Coronet in Notting Hill. Opened in
1898, it was soon regarded as one of the finest theatres outside the West End.
King Edward II has been a guest there, and the notorious Notting Hill starring
Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts resurrected it when it was featured in the film.
The two-screen
cinema boasts three tiers of seating, with stalls, a circle and a gallery,
allowing film lovers to enjoy old classics and newer releases in an antique
setting.
But it is not just
independent cinemas gaining newfound popularity for moviegoers to find that old,
community experience that cinema was always about. New projects and movie
initiatives are surfacing up and down the country, making local communities
remember why they love film.
A Small Cinema,
originally conceived as a showcase event for film-makers in the North West of
England, is a unique short film event born out of a fascination and desire to
recreate the classic cinematic experience.
Currently being
developed as a community engagement project by artist collective Re-Dock, A
Small Cinema is facilitating communities in hosting their own short film events.
With the catchphrase
“what cinema used to be”, one of the artists working on the project Sam Meech,
says that people know relate to cinema as more like going to a theme park,
“People immediately talk about how much it all costs. Take the kids and you’re
bankrupted at the end of it. The idea of going regularly now it just
impossible.” But A Small Cinema is trying to change this mindset and bring
small cinema back to communities.
“A trip to Berlin
inspired me to set up A Small Cinema. You could walk to about three cinemas
from any given point. They might be literally on the fifth floor of a flat with
13 seats. I went to one when they couldn’t find any proper cinema seats, so
they built some out of bricks with cushions— that really changed your idea of
what a cinema is.” Says Meech.
By thinking outside
of the commercial box, A Small Cinema is trying to bring back and sustain our
love of film. From a backdrop that multiplexes previously owned, the small
independence are fighting back with a vengeance, and the meaning of cinema, a
place for sharing the love of film, and a beautiful experience, is slowly being
remembered.
