I've mentioned the Hyland before. This is London's oldest movie theatre still showing films. Opened in the '30s, the single screen, neighbourhood cinema seats a little more than four hundred. At one time its small size was a drawback. Not today. A film like Fantastic Fungi showing at two thirty in the afternoon on a Thursday hasn't got a chance of filling even four hundred seats.
That said, the little theatre was possibly a third filled with folk eager to see the quirky little film. Why anyone would applaud a movie is beyond me but when Fantastic Fungi ended there was a lot of appreciative clapping. On the plus side, it did not get a standing ovation from anyone.
The Hyland Cinema reminds me of what we called a second run theatre back in the '60s and '70s. Like those old theatres from a bygone time, if one has a membership one gets a discount on the ticket price. Non-GMO popcorn with real butter is available, if you ask.
Lately, the local owners have even been experimenting with midnight shows on weekends but I doubt Rocky Horror will be ever be shown. The oh-so-animated audiance at a Rocky Horror showing can be very hard on a movie theatre. But I wouldn't be surprised if Harold and Maude made a midnight appearance. I might even go. ;-)
2 comments:
There are a couple of theatres here of that nature- the one or two screen variety that show art films and second run stuff. Everything else has become megaplexes with all the trimmings.
The Hyland actually gets a crack at some first run features and runs a lot of films that simply are not shown by the big chains.
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