I saw two films here: The Black Hole from Disney in 1980 (and I remember the folding screen masking opening up for Cinemascope) then Parsifal from Hans-Jürgen Syberberg probably in 1982, shown in 1.37 ratio.
Ah, my beloved 1.66 aspect ratio! Close to the golden number. Always considered it to be a more balanced ratio than the 1.85 which always looked like it was invented to use as much surface as possible on tiny screens.
With the exit doors on the sides, there is just enough space for the curtains and masking to retract, so it shows the maximum screen width, which is visibly the 2.20 aspect ratio and slight screen curvature intended for films made accordingly to Panavision specifications. If you consider the aspect ratio, and also the screen size vs auditorium size, this is definitely a 70mm screen like they were thought out in the mid-sixties, when the deep curves of Cinerama and Todd-AO began to become a thing of the past except for Dimension 150 that would land at the Odeon Marble Arch 3 years later.
A projection booth was built in 1958 at the rear of the stalls for Todd-AO, presumably using Philips DP70 projectors (the only Todd-AO projectors at that time). Yet on some pictures, we can see small rectangles looking like portholes on the wall at the rear of the dress circle, and a picture taken in a projection booth with blue walls showing a pair of Cinemeccanica 35-70mm projectors, tilted down. Also, the small red box to the right of a projector is a remote control for a Dolby CP100 processor. Does somebody know when this new projection booth was built ?
Occasional films after 1981 also included a limited engagement of “Gremlins” in 70mm from August 17 to 26, 1986 (I believe it was 1986). In the early eighties, I saw the “Chinese Acrobatic Show” there, the only time I went to the Dominion. I just added 2 pictures of the theatre front to the photos section, which I took around 1986-1988.
Indeed this cinema closed in 1999 and must not be confused with the other cinema bearing the same name, still in operation today. Here is a short film on YouTube, made during its last year of operation, showing the cinema front and the projection booth.
Posted a picture of screen #11 taken today. This is one of the larger theatres (16 rows of 22 seats minus some seats for a vomitorium). Good auditorium structure with comfortable seats, stadium seating and a nice curved Cinemascope screen, alas without screen masking. I saw the re-run of The Empire Strikes Back on DCP. Projection was pristine, a rarity in today’s modern suburban multiplexes, with good control of sound level for both the feature film and the ads and trailers, light level on screen, picture scaling, how and when they dim the auditorium lights. The DCP itself could have been made from a better master as the picture quality was not consistent throughout the movie, but this isn’t a theatre-related issue.
I never go to this cinema from the southern part of the city, far from where I stay, and usually prefer the more centrally located Cinema City Kazimierz. I need to mention though, that I saw Samsara in 4K at Cinema City Bonarka in 2012, one of the rare cinemas that showed it.
I thought this picture was by Thomas Hauerslev, according to his site in70mm.com.
Anyway, it shows the JBL 8325 surround speakers of the THX installation from 1986, which was used until the complex closed in 1991 for extensive remodelling.
These two pictures show the original auditorium before it was redecorated and fitted out with a new stage and a 70mm screen for a few years, before it was twinned. There is a small picture showing the screen with curtains open, in the book “West End Cinemas” by Allen Eyles. I can’t scan it and post it here because I don’t have the book right here and the picture may not be free of use. This is the only picture I know of the Warner with this remodelling.
I’m surprised to see Her Majesty’s Theatre listed on CT as I didn’t know it had been used as a cinema, though temporarily. I saw Phantom in 1986 with the original cast – Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. The stage machinery, the lights and sound effects were innovative at that time. I remember being stunned by the chandelier rising from the stage in the opening scene. We had seats at the back of the stalls, maybe 2 or 3 rows from the back, but the sightlines were still good, as the circle was unobtrusive. It was constantly sold out but my dad got tickets bought on the street corner for the same day’s evening performance, at 50£ each. Expensive but we didn’t regret it.
There were messages posted by edlambert in 2018 about the aspect ratio. Recently I was watching a program about digital restoration of Cinerama and Cinemiracle films. They showed original 35mm 3-strip negatives where the top and bottom of the picture was actually slightly curved (because of camera lenses and aperture) and had to be cut out during projection. Also, as we all know, the intersection of panels with each other caused an additional loss due to the superimposition, then finally the far left and right edges of the projected image were often slightly cut out using screen masking correction to ensure a perfectly rectangular image for the viewers despite the curvature. Practically, the projected aspect ratio of 3-strip usually varied from 2.55 to 2.60 in most theaters.
This picture was posted on the wrong theatre page. This film played at the Odeon Haymarket in Haymarket, not at the Odeon LUXE Haymarket which is in Panton Street.
English translation of an article from 2002, originally written in French on the SILVERSCREENS web site.
This film (16 min) on YOUTUBE was shot during two days (on 20 January 1991 and 27 June 1992) by a former projectionist who worked there from 1989 to 1992. To summarize the text on the picture, it emphasizes the fact that the Kino was the largest screen in France, had premieres where stars from all over the world attended, was the first French cinema with digital sound (the pioneering CDS process developed by Kodak and ORC). It was managed for decades by its owners Pierre and Josette Pinton who sold it to Gaumont in 1992. It closed in 2002 in complete indifference.
In the photos section, the black and white picture shows the original Kinopanorama front speakers (the ones with large wings similar to the older Altec) and, between them, the newer STS (Système Ténor de Sonorisation) installation made of Ténor speakers designed by French engineer Pierre Vincent in the late eighties. Ténor speakers guaranteed a uniformly multidirectional sound more suitable to a volume such as the Kino auditorium, as opposed to speakers used in THX-certified installations where the specifications are for coverage angles of 90° horizontally by 40° vertically.
This picture shows the original Kinopanorama front speakers (the ones with large wings similar to the older Altec) and, between them, the newer STS (Système Ténor de Sonorisation) installation made of Ténor speakers designed by French engineer Pierre Vincent in the late eighties. Ténor speakers guaranteed a uniformly multidirectional sound more suitable to a volume such as the Kino auditorium, as opposed to speakers used in THX-certified installations for example, where the specifications are for coverage angles of 90° horizontally by 40° vertically.
I’m a bit scared that Amazon would now own Odeon because this megalodon is just getting bigger and bigger. Didn’t it want to create a bank too? AMC is currently owned by the Chinese. Curious how the outcome will look like. As long as Curzon survives and remains independent, there is hope for good quality cinema.
About coronavirus: where I live now, it’s still OK. Just 2 or 3 cases (known) and we’re able to keep a life as normal as possible. The damn thing is delaying our Cinema Treasures meeting at the Montagu Pyke though, and I hope you’re all safe so far.
I was once seated in the rear left area of the stalls at the OLS, for a film in 35mm 1.66, and the picture would have been slightly cropped by the circle, should I have seated just one row behind. It was close.
I posted a picture of the Odeon, taken when I was a student on holiday with my dad in August, 1991. The film I saw at the Odeon was Edward Scissorhands which played in 70mm there. I remember this evening. London was congested at a level I’d never seen because Pavarotti was coming to sing in Hyde Park and I didn’t know. Tubes were delayed beyond reason. I took a cab from our hotel in Lancaster Gate to Leicester Square, while my dad took the tube to go and see a show in the West End. Because of the congestion, the beginning of all stage shows in the West End was exceptionally delayed by 30 minutes as many spectators were late.
The projection at the Odeon was pristine as usual. I planned to sit at the first row of the Royal circle. Unfortunately, for the first time – and I ignore the reason, I was not asked to choose my seat and the cashier gave me a ticket for the upper circle. I wasn’t pleased at all, finding the view rather far from the screen, especially considering that Edward was a blow-up print in 1.85 ratio that didn’t fill the whole 70mm aperture.
Furthermore, I was the first spectator to enter the circle and it remained so for several minutes until the next spectators (a father and his young son) entered and came to sit right next to me. We started a little chit-chat and he wondered too, why he hadn’t been asked which seats he wanted. He explained that they were living outside Central London where multiplex cinemas were more comfortable as they offered more space for the legs, but he took his son to Leicester Square cinemas just to show him the grandeur and technical superiority of these theatres. Ah… what a good education! Anyway, I went to complain to an usher about my unsatisfactory seat location. As the first row remained unoccupied, she allowed me to sit there once the film started.
Have you experienced being assigned a seat without being asked, in a Leicester Square cinema? I’m not speaking of the new Warner of 1993 where, as it stated above the desks, “seat attributed by the computer” (which is the reason why I never wanted to go there anymore).
It seems that the damn virus won’t let us have our meeting at the Montagu Pyke anytime soon. Anyway, I hope all of you are safe. So far, I’m alright.
I saw two films here: The Black Hole from Disney in 1980 (and I remember the folding screen masking opening up for Cinemascope) then Parsifal from Hans-Jürgen Syberberg probably in 1982, shown in 1.37 ratio.
Ah, my beloved 1.66 aspect ratio! Close to the golden number. Always considered it to be a more balanced ratio than the 1.85 which always looked like it was invented to use as much surface as possible on tiny screens.
With the exit doors on the sides, there is just enough space for the curtains and masking to retract, so it shows the maximum screen width, which is visibly the 2.20 aspect ratio and slight screen curvature intended for films made accordingly to Panavision specifications. If you consider the aspect ratio, and also the screen size vs auditorium size, this is definitely a 70mm screen like they were thought out in the mid-sixties, when the deep curves of Cinerama and Todd-AO began to become a thing of the past except for Dimension 150 that would land at the Odeon Marble Arch 3 years later.
@vindanpar : I just uploaded a picture which should answer your question. Transformation for 70mm in 1964, but still as a single-screen theatre.
A projection booth was built in 1958 at the rear of the stalls for Todd-AO, presumably using Philips DP70 projectors (the only Todd-AO projectors at that time). Yet on some pictures, we can see small rectangles looking like portholes on the wall at the rear of the dress circle, and a picture taken in a projection booth with blue walls showing a pair of Cinemeccanica 35-70mm projectors, tilted down. Also, the small red box to the right of a projector is a remote control for a Dolby CP100 processor. Does somebody know when this new projection booth was built ?
Occasional films after 1981 also included a limited engagement of “Gremlins” in 70mm from August 17 to 26, 1986 (I believe it was 1986). In the early eighties, I saw the “Chinese Acrobatic Show” there, the only time I went to the Dominion. I just added 2 pictures of the theatre front to the photos section, which I took around 1986-1988.
Indeed this cinema closed in 1999 and must not be confused with the other cinema bearing the same name, still in operation today. Here is a short film on YouTube, made during its last year of operation, showing the cinema front and the projection booth.
And an old web page on the Silverscreens site.
Posted a picture of screen #11 taken today. This is one of the larger theatres (16 rows of 22 seats minus some seats for a vomitorium). Good auditorium structure with comfortable seats, stadium seating and a nice curved Cinemascope screen, alas without screen masking. I saw the re-run of The Empire Strikes Back on DCP. Projection was pristine, a rarity in today’s modern suburban multiplexes, with good control of sound level for both the feature film and the ads and trailers, light level on screen, picture scaling, how and when they dim the auditorium lights. The DCP itself could have been made from a better master as the picture quality was not consistent throughout the movie, but this isn’t a theatre-related issue.
I never go to this cinema from the southern part of the city, far from where I stay, and usually prefer the more centrally located Cinema City Kazimierz. I need to mention though, that I saw Samsara in 4K at Cinema City Bonarka in 2012, one of the rare cinemas that showed it.
I thought this picture was by Thomas Hauerslev, according to his site in70mm.com.
Anyway, it shows the JBL 8325 surround speakers of the THX installation from 1986, which was used until the complex closed in 1991 for extensive remodelling.
These two pictures show the original auditorium before it was redecorated and fitted out with a new stage and a 70mm screen for a few years, before it was twinned. There is a small picture showing the screen with curtains open, in the book “West End Cinemas” by Allen Eyles. I can’t scan it and post it here because I don’t have the book right here and the picture may not be free of use. This is the only picture I know of the Warner with this remodelling.
I’m surprised to see Her Majesty’s Theatre listed on CT as I didn’t know it had been used as a cinema, though temporarily. I saw Phantom in 1986 with the original cast – Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. The stage machinery, the lights and sound effects were innovative at that time. I remember being stunned by the chandelier rising from the stage in the opening scene. We had seats at the back of the stalls, maybe 2 or 3 rows from the back, but the sightlines were still good, as the circle was unobtrusive. It was constantly sold out but my dad got tickets bought on the street corner for the same day’s evening performance, at 50£ each. Expensive but we didn’t regret it.
There were messages posted by edlambert in 2018 about the aspect ratio. Recently I was watching a program about digital restoration of Cinerama and Cinemiracle films. They showed original 35mm 3-strip negatives where the top and bottom of the picture was actually slightly curved (because of camera lenses and aperture) and had to be cut out during projection. Also, as we all know, the intersection of panels with each other caused an additional loss due to the superimposition, then finally the far left and right edges of the projected image were often slightly cut out using screen masking correction to ensure a perfectly rectangular image for the viewers despite the curvature. Practically, the projected aspect ratio of 3-strip usually varied from 2.55 to 2.60 in most theaters.
This picture was posted on the wrong theatre page. This film played at the Odeon Haymarket in Haymarket, not at the Odeon LUXE Haymarket which is in Panton Street.
English translation of an article from 2002, originally written in French on the SILVERSCREENS web site.
This film (16 min) on YOUTUBE was shot during two days (on 20 January 1991 and 27 June 1992) by a former projectionist who worked there from 1989 to 1992. To summarize the text on the picture, it emphasizes the fact that the Kino was the largest screen in France, had premieres where stars from all over the world attended, was the first French cinema with digital sound (the pioneering CDS process developed by Kodak and ORC). It was managed for decades by its owners Pierre and Josette Pinton who sold it to Gaumont in 1992. It closed in 2002 in complete indifference.
Here is an illustrated article on Thomas Hauerslev’s IN70MM.COM web site, and an update to this article on the same site.
In the photos section, the black and white picture shows the original Kinopanorama front speakers (the ones with large wings similar to the older Altec) and, between them, the newer STS (Système Ténor de Sonorisation) installation made of Ténor speakers designed by French engineer Pierre Vincent in the late eighties. Ténor speakers guaranteed a uniformly multidirectional sound more suitable to a volume such as the Kino auditorium, as opposed to speakers used in THX-certified installations where the specifications are for coverage angles of 90° horizontally by 40° vertically.
This picture shows the original Kinopanorama front speakers (the ones with large wings similar to the older Altec) and, between them, the newer STS (Système Ténor de Sonorisation) installation made of Ténor speakers designed by French engineer Pierre Vincent in the late eighties. Ténor speakers guaranteed a uniformly multidirectional sound more suitable to a volume such as the Kino auditorium, as opposed to speakers used in THX-certified installations for example, where the specifications are for coverage angles of 90° horizontally by 40° vertically.
Another article, in French, on the George V.
An illustrated article in French here on the Ermitage. Google Translate is your Friend.
Articles in French on the Silverscreens site.
The Paramount Opéra yesterday.
The Paramount Opéra today (1999).
Work in progress (2007).
English translation of an article on the Silverscreens French site, from 1998.
English translation of an article on the Silverscreens French site, from 1998.
I just found these short films showing the animated sign of the cinema from 1969 when called the Cinecenta :
gettyimages.com
Everything fine for me here.
I’m a bit scared that Amazon would now own Odeon because this megalodon is just getting bigger and bigger. Didn’t it want to create a bank too? AMC is currently owned by the Chinese. Curious how the outcome will look like. As long as Curzon survives and remains independent, there is hope for good quality cinema.
About coronavirus: where I live now, it’s still OK. Just 2 or 3 cases (known) and we’re able to keep a life as normal as possible. The damn thing is delaying our Cinema Treasures meeting at the Montagu Pyke though, and I hope you’re all safe so far.
I was once seated in the rear left area of the stalls at the OLS, for a film in 35mm 1.66, and the picture would have been slightly cropped by the circle, should I have seated just one row behind. It was close.
I posted a picture of the Odeon, taken when I was a student on holiday with my dad in August, 1991. The film I saw at the Odeon was Edward Scissorhands which played in 70mm there. I remember this evening. London was congested at a level I’d never seen because Pavarotti was coming to sing in Hyde Park and I didn’t know. Tubes were delayed beyond reason. I took a cab from our hotel in Lancaster Gate to Leicester Square, while my dad took the tube to go and see a show in the West End. Because of the congestion, the beginning of all stage shows in the West End was exceptionally delayed by 30 minutes as many spectators were late.
The projection at the Odeon was pristine as usual. I planned to sit at the first row of the Royal circle. Unfortunately, for the first time – and I ignore the reason, I was not asked to choose my seat and the cashier gave me a ticket for the upper circle. I wasn’t pleased at all, finding the view rather far from the screen, especially considering that Edward was a blow-up print in 1.85 ratio that didn’t fill the whole 70mm aperture.
Furthermore, I was the first spectator to enter the circle and it remained so for several minutes until the next spectators (a father and his young son) entered and came to sit right next to me. We started a little chit-chat and he wondered too, why he hadn’t been asked which seats he wanted. He explained that they were living outside Central London where multiplex cinemas were more comfortable as they offered more space for the legs, but he took his son to Leicester Square cinemas just to show him the grandeur and technical superiority of these theatres. Ah… what a good education! Anyway, I went to complain to an usher about my unsatisfactory seat location. As the first row remained unoccupied, she allowed me to sit there once the film started.
Have you experienced being assigned a seat without being asked, in a Leicester Square cinema? I’m not speaking of the new Warner of 1993 where, as it stated above the desks, “seat attributed by the computer” (which is the reason why I never wanted to go there anymore).