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Topic: The Winter Garden Theater

Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 09, 2016 01:19 PM

Yesterday we went to see a special showing of the movie National Velvet, with Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Roony, at The Winter Garden Theater in Winter Garden Florida. This is a restored 1936 cinema, with a unique Spanish courtyard interior, and yes they have curtains!

The cinema is very warm and cozy, with beautiful Spanish lantirns adorning the side walls, and an illuminated starfield ceiling. Very nice indeed, and a real change from the usual cold and sterile multiplex cinema's of today.
The movie was great, the first time I had ever seen it, and the old cliché is so true, they just don't make films like this anymore.
National Velvet is a very heart warming film, made with the great care and craftsmanship that typified MGM in the golden age.
We will certainly be going out to the Winter Garden theater again.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted July 10, 2016 06:42 AM

Was National Velvet on good old film? The interior shows how comfortable old cinemas were. The Odeon, Bristol, opened in 1938, was where, in 1952, I was a 17-year-old trainee projectionist.

The ceiling was also covered in stars. They were light boxes in the ceiling void, each with a 150 watt lamp. The bottom of the box was glass and over it was a metal cut-out star. From below in the auditorium all the patrons saw was a myriad of stars. If any stars were not lit on the morning check, it was my job to go into the dusty void to replace the dud lamp!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/richwall100/3660024092/

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Maurice

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 10, 2016 12:43 PM

Sadly Maurice, this was not 35mm projection, but the digital picture quality was excellent and left no complaints.
Even though I would have preferred real film projection for a classic film like this, I think we can at least be happy that many cinemas, even the first run multiplexes, now feature the periodic showing of classic movies as a regular part of their schedules. And all the ones I have been to have been full houses.
I think the convenience of digital projection has a lot to do with a resurgence in the interest and showing of classic films.

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted July 10, 2016 07:49 PM

Paul,

Great to see that such smaller "jewels" get restored instead of just being plowed under. Film projection would make it perfect, but at least they are in use.

Claus.

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"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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