Isn’t it the cinema where a scene from Woody Allen’s MATCH POINT (2005) was shot ? The scene where Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Emily Mortimer are smooching in the dark.
“Saving Curzon Mayfair”, a video insight (13 mins) at all aspects of this cinema with interviews of people in charge, on the official Curzon YouTube channel.
I’m afraid this is a worldwide phenomenon. Sign of the times reflecting the cultural level of Generation Z. Boomers pass away, Generation X is alive and kicking but wanes in theaters and prefers to manage its DVD classics collection while the Z'ers watch crap on mobile devices.
The remaining good art houses look like nursing homes at peak hours and fiercely stand like convicts facing a firing squad that would be made of VOD execs dressed in hoodies.
I hate how most cinemas look like today. Black boxes with deafening sound and armchairs inviting you to extend your legs and remove your shoes for others to enjoy Odorama. Weird how things got reversed in 60 years, going from “Go out of your house and come enjoy the big screen” from “Don’t be afraid to go out, we made sure things are exactly just like in your home”.
Never mind, it’s morning here and I haven’t had coffee yet.
Lionel
commented about
Balzacon
Jul 15, 2026 at 6:42 am
The Balzac had about 200 seats and was part of the building housing the “Hotel de Suède”. Everything was demolished in the late 1970s to make room for the Galerie Opéra shopping mall that opened in September 1981 and housed the six-screen Ciné Opéra multiplex.
The Balzac was essentially showing foreign films in their original languages with subtitles. In the early 1950s, “Hamlet” with Laurence Olivier played for a month. It should be noted that, even as a French dubbing had been made for Hamlet, the version shown at the Balzac was the English-speaking one. This is an example of how Liège always was receptive to foreign art films shown with subtitles, contrary to other cities of Wallonia where dubbing is the norm and films like Hamlet aren’t playing at all.
Thanks for the link. This YouTube account also posted other videos of cinemas including the famous AVCO in Los Angeles. For the Columbus one, interesting to see the crowd who was attending. Looks like an upscale place but it’s not just NY and not just the 80s. We even see people with their shopping bags entering. Have there ever been studies to see who was attending this cinema, was it more Midtown/West Side residents, other NY residents, people working in Manhattan then going home outside, tourists ?
@CF100 In 1983, I doubt the B chain had been improved yet. No new surround speakers in sight. The Warner #2 was, as far as I know, the first West End auditorium to receive JBL 4675 front speakers when it went THX in 1986. As I was used to mediocre optical mono playback in my hometown, the difference when hearing a six-track magnetic playback was obviously striking, even on the (probably) older Altec speakers on duty at the Leicester Square Theatre.
Anyway, I was posting to point at this report on YouTube showing Jedi opening at the Dominion and Leicester Square Theatre in 1983, showing the spectacular display I mentioned in my previous message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOQGXWIyoIY
Lionel
commented about
Trianonon
Jul 22, 2025 at 12:38 pm
There must be a mistake. It’s not 900 seats. More like 400-500.
Here is a documentary about the Trianon, from the construction to the conversion to digital cinema, also mentioning the TV show “La dernière séance” (The last picture show) presented by Eddy Mitchell in the 1980s. Who remembers this TV show ? I loved it, it was entertaining and full of nostalgy, and served as an introduction to the broadcast of a great oldie.
At the opening in 1991, as stated in the presentation, seating was originally provided for 1,393. In my archives (informations saved from Time Out and What’s On magazines), I found the following seat distribution: 548, 240, 154, 146, 122, 94, 89.
Larger screen projection booth in this short film, showing the Philips DP75 projector and Dolby CP200 processor:
Thanks Joshua. I had a look at the link you mentioned. Great to see that Ira Deutchman is the president. I’ve watched excerpts of his documentary Searching for Mr Rugoff last year, and an outtake featured Tim Blake Nelson precisely advocating for the need of a new art house in the Upper West Side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4piSYNRg8z8&ab_channel=IraDeutchman
Frida visible on the billboard. That was an excellent film. Alas, not released theatrically in my city, I had to wait for the DVD. Did it attract many viewers in New York?
On Jun 28, 2005 in the comments section, the user named Shade posted a comment with a link to the pictures of the auditorium he took on the last day of operation. This link is now dead. Does anybody know if these pictures are available elsewhere ?
I’ve just uploaded two pictures I took while touring the place in 2005. Stage seen from balcony with curtains open, and back of the upper balcony. I’ve taken many more of various corridors and rooms of the building and will post some progressively.
Petition signed. Let’s hope the PCC will not know the same fate as the Minema and others. Only saw one film there: The Last Emperor in 70mm almost 40 years ago.
I just uploaded an illustration of the Fox Grandeur 70mm film to the photos section. Comparison of standard 35mm and 70mm films in the early 1930s. Both gauges feature an off-axis picture with a variable-density Movitone mono optical sound track to the left of the picture, as well as a four-perforation pulldown profile. The 70mm process portrayed here is Fox Grandeur for which the Roxy was equipped.
I just checked the Rivoli’s page on Cinema Treasures including photos and it’s definitely NOT the theater I have in mind. It must have been the Roxy. There is even a programme picture posted here that shows the projection booth as I remember seeing it on a better picture in “The Best Remaining Seats”.
Isn’t it the cinema where a scene from Woody Allen’s MATCH POINT (2005) was shot ? The scene where Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Emily Mortimer are smooching in the dark.
“Saving Curzon Mayfair”, a video insight (13 mins) at all aspects of this cinema with interviews of people in charge, on the official Curzon YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_-E1D2ryUo
@m00se1111 Thanks for posting. Interesting to see the stage of the former Prince Charles Theatre in that video. And Robert Morley always so cheerful.
@RobertR
I’m afraid this is a worldwide phenomenon. Sign of the times reflecting the cultural level of Generation Z. Boomers pass away, Generation X is alive and kicking but wanes in theaters and prefers to manage its DVD classics collection while the Z'ers watch crap on mobile devices.
The remaining good art houses look like nursing homes at peak hours and fiercely stand like convicts facing a firing squad that would be made of VOD execs dressed in hoodies.
I hate how most cinemas look like today. Black boxes with deafening sound and armchairs inviting you to extend your legs and remove your shoes for others to enjoy Odorama. Weird how things got reversed in 60 years, going from “Go out of your house and come enjoy the big screen” from “Don’t be afraid to go out, we made sure things are exactly just like in your home”.
Never mind, it’s morning here and I haven’t had coffee yet.
The Balzac had about 200 seats and was part of the building housing the “Hotel de Suède”. Everything was demolished in the late 1970s to make room for the Galerie Opéra shopping mall that opened in September 1981 and housed the six-screen Ciné Opéra multiplex.
The Balzac was essentially showing foreign films in their original languages with subtitles. In the early 1950s, “Hamlet” with Laurence Olivier played for a month. It should be noted that, even as a French dubbing had been made for Hamlet, the version shown at the Balzac was the English-speaking one. This is an example of how Liège always was receptive to foreign art films shown with subtitles, contrary to other cities of Wallonia where dubbing is the norm and films like Hamlet aren’t playing at all.
@RyanToDaF2044
Thanks for the link. This YouTube account also posted other videos of cinemas including the famous AVCO in Los Angeles. For the Columbus one, interesting to see the crowd who was attending. Looks like an upscale place but it’s not just NY and not just the 80s. We even see people with their shopping bags entering. Have there ever been studies to see who was attending this cinema, was it more Midtown/West Side residents, other NY residents, people working in Manhattan then going home outside, tourists ?
In the photos section, I posted a 1979 picture of the billboard showing MANHATTAN and QUADROPHENIA playing at the then-called Classic Oxford Street.
@CF100
Here is a link to the product guide of the Kintek booth processor I saw at the Warner: https://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/manuals/KintekKT700.pdf.
Speaking of of Kintek cinema products, here is the brochure of the Kintek KT90 subwoofer, first subwoofer to be approved by THX (even before JBL): https://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/manuals/KINTEKKT90.pdf.
And speaking of early THX-approved speakers, the first surround speaker to be approved was the Boston Acoustics A70-T: https://community.classicspeakerpages.net/topic/3809-a70-brochure/.
@CF100 In 1983, I doubt the B chain had been improved yet. No new surround speakers in sight. The Warner #2 was, as far as I know, the first West End auditorium to receive JBL 4675 front speakers when it went THX in 1986. As I was used to mediocre optical mono playback in my hometown, the difference when hearing a six-track magnetic playback was obviously striking, even on the (probably) older Altec speakers on duty at the Leicester Square Theatre.
Anyway, I was posting to point at this report on YouTube showing Jedi opening at the Dominion and Leicester Square Theatre in 1983, showing the spectacular display I mentioned in my previous message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOQGXWIyoIY
Toby Talbot passed away on September 15, 2025.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/movies/toby-talbot-dead.html
For reference, this 80-minute long “Talk with Toby Talbot on Life in Art-House Cinema | The New School for Drama” from 2009 is on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyyowLs2Or0
More pictures of the Ziegfeld (auditorium and projection booth), Astor Plaza (auditorium) and Beekman (auditorium) in this French article:
https://silverscreens.com/nyc3.php
More pictures of the Ziegfeld (auditorium and projection booth), Astor Plaza (auditorium) and Beekman (auditorium) in this French article:
https://silverscreens.com/nyc3.php
More pictures of the Ziegfeld (auditorium and projection booth), Astor Plaza (auditorium) and Beekman (auditorium) in this French article:
https://silverscreens.com/nyc3.php
There must be a mistake. It’s not 900 seats. More like 400-500.
Here is a documentary about the Trianon, from the construction to the conversion to digital cinema, also mentioning the TV show “La dernière séance” (The last picture show) presented by Eddy Mitchell in the 1980s. Who remembers this TV show ? I loved it, it was entertaining and full of nostalgy, and served as an introduction to the broadcast of a great oldie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cmqG_Zqwd4&ab_channel=letrianoncinema
At the opening in 1991, as stated in the presentation, seating was originally provided for 1,393. In my archives (informations saved from Time Out and What’s On magazines), I found the following seat distribution: 548, 240, 154, 146, 122, 94, 89.
Larger screen projection booth in this short film, showing the Philips DP75 projector and Dolby CP200 processor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Aj0FyDI8DE
Foyer and auditoria shown in this film at 2h14'45" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmggh1yFCRU
Thanks Joshua. I had a look at the link you mentioned. Great to see that Ira Deutchman is the president. I’ve watched excerpts of his documentary Searching for Mr Rugoff last year, and an outtake featured Tim Blake Nelson precisely advocating for the need of a new art house in the Upper West Side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4piSYNRg8z8&ab_channel=IraDeutchman
There are many pictures of screen #1 and #2 out there but I’ve never seen screen #3. Does somebody here have a picture of screen #3 ? Thank you.
Authentic Rockette costume.
Frida visible on the billboard. That was an excellent film. Alas, not released theatrically in my city, I had to wait for the DVD. Did it attract many viewers in New York?
On Jun 28, 2005 in the comments section, the user named Shade posted a comment with a link to the pictures of the auditorium he took on the last day of operation. This link is now dead. Does anybody know if these pictures are available elsewhere ?
I’ve just uploaded two pictures I took while touring the place in 2005. Stage seen from balcony with curtains open, and back of the upper balcony. I’ve taken many more of various corridors and rooms of the building and will post some progressively.
This is not the Paris, It’s the larger auditorium of the Cinema I-II-III.
Petition signed. Let’s hope the PCC will not know the same fate as the Minema and others. Only saw one film there: The Last Emperor in 70mm almost 40 years ago.
I just uploaded an illustration of the Fox Grandeur 70mm film to the photos section. Comparison of standard 35mm and 70mm films in the early 1930s. Both gauges feature an off-axis picture with a variable-density Movitone mono optical sound track to the left of the picture, as well as a four-perforation pulldown profile. The 70mm process portrayed here is Fox Grandeur for which the Roxy was equipped.
I just checked the Rivoli’s page on Cinema Treasures including photos and it’s definitely NOT the theater I have in mind. It must have been the Roxy. There is even a programme picture posted here that shows the projection booth as I remember seeing it on a better picture in “The Best Remaining Seats”.