8mm Forum: The Winter Garden Theater

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Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on 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.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on 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/

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on 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.

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on 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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