The Cineroleum
A disused petrol station in Clerkenwell is where I spent my Bank holiday sunday night. Karen & Rosie had a spare ticket so I joined them for a bizarre but enjoyable "night out"
The makers of the Cineroleum have constructed this cinema from a disused petrol station forecourt in the city of London. The film of choice was Altmans classic The Long Goodbye. Elliott Gould plays a wisecracking private eye who is arrested for abetting the murder of his friend's wife.
It was almost a full house with 1950's styled ushers selling ice cream and popcorn in cones, all available at the intermission.
The London soundscape of Police sirens gave a whole new dimension to multi channel surround sound, and in a few scenes it appeared to add to the mix, and in others created a whole new contrasting mash up.
It was cold toward the end, although I'm sure this was because the couple next to me bailed after 30 minutes, leaving a gap to my left, a huddled mass can generate a fair bit of warmth. Although I'm not sure I could have sat for too much longer in the wooden flip-down seats, although I did spot few old style cinema seats apparently on loan from a museum. I must remember a seating pad next time.
*Spoiler Alert*
As the film credits rolled the staff quickly ran outside and hoisted up the curtains to reveal the outside world. A wonderfully strange experience itself, suddenly we were the subjects on display to the passing traffic. As your eyes adjusted to the street light glow the cinema itself gives you a cinemascope view of the street outside.
Lets hope it returns in the summer.
Delayed uploaded from 29/08/10