Odeon Luxe Swiss Cottage & IMAX

I visited the Swiss Cottage Odeon today to see their IMAX presentation of Skyfall. I am normally very critical of Odeon sites but this one exceeds all expectations. There is little remaining of the Art Deco interior but at least the circle foyer has been reinstated and is now the stylish Amber Bar. The Imax auditorium, the former circle is massive and the deco ceiling troughs are still in situ and the screen presentation was impressive.

Members may be interested to know that I tried to discover from Odeon whether or not the renovations would lead to the destruction of the still-marvellous Screen 1 (old circle) : they refused to comment, which makes me think that sadly it will. I believe the venue is now slated to re-open not in the summer, but early autumn 2011.

a few photos
exterior daytime 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/104253869/
exterior close up nightime
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/121533597/
circle corridor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/121529204/

A fairly recent photograph of the Odeon Swiss Cottage:
http://www.moviebunker.com/odeon_swiss_cottage.htm

The night before setting off on a three-week camping trip from London to Istanbul and back (stopping in Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, etc.), we went to the Odeon Swiss Cottage to see “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium.” A nice send-off for a great trip, and an impressive visit to one of Britain’s massive Odeons of the thirties.

More vintage exterior photographs of the Odeon Swiss Cottage here:

1. Exterior in 1949
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2. Exterior in 1956
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3. Exterior in 1968
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