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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Cine-files: Grand Teatret, Copenhagen | Cine-files: Grand Teatret, Copenhagen |
| (6 months later) | |
| This week's Cine-files is another entry from Lorraine Simpson, who runs a monthly film discussion club in Edinburgh. | This week's Cine-files is another entry from Lorraine Simpson, who runs a monthly film discussion club in Edinburgh. |
| Location | Location |
| Denmark's leading art house cinema couldn't get any more central. You'll find it housed behind the Palace Hotel which faces Copenhagen City Hall, just off Stoget, the main pedestrian shopping area. If the imposing doors and smart gold signage are not easy enough to spot then just look for a street filled with movie posters, cafe tables and lots of neatly parked bikes. | Denmark's leading art house cinema couldn't get any more central. You'll find it housed behind the Palace Hotel which faces Copenhagen City Hall, just off Stoget, the main pedestrian shopping area. If the imposing doors and smart gold signage are not easy enough to spot then just look for a street filled with movie posters, cafe tables and lots of neatly parked bikes. |
| The building | The building |
| This December, Grand Teatret will celebrate the centenary of its inaugural screening. The "grand" part of the theatre's title is due, in part, to the cinema's refined origins – the first screen was built in the ballroom of the Palace Hotel almost 100 years ago. We can only hope that the orchestra enjoyed the switch from performing waltzes for genteel crowds to belting out dramatic soundtracks for silent films. | This December, Grand Teatret will celebrate the centenary of its inaugural screening. The "grand" part of the theatre's title is due, in part, to the cinema's refined origins – the first screen was built in the ballroom of the Palace Hotel almost 100 years ago. We can only hope that the orchestra enjoyed the switch from performing waltzes for genteel crowds to belting out dramatic soundtracks for silent films. |
| The original opulent architecture has been retained through tasteful modernisation and now there is a bustling cafe bar, gleaming snacks counter and a fantastic 1950s style entrance with domed glass ticket booths and a black and white tiled floor. But don't be deceived by the period furnishings: the cinema was digitised a year ago and there are six screens with the capacity to seat up to 774 film lovers (the two biggest auditoriums still have 35mm projectors). | The original opulent architecture has been retained through tasteful modernisation and now there is a bustling cafe bar, gleaming snacks counter and a fantastic 1950s style entrance with domed glass ticket booths and a black and white tiled floor. But don't be deceived by the period furnishings: the cinema was digitised a year ago and there are six screens with the capacity to seat up to 774 film lovers (the two biggest auditoriums still have 35mm projectors). |
| The clientele | The clientele |
| There's an immediate buzz in the retro foyer, which comes from the busy crowd of mixed ages queuing for tickets or chatting in the cafe bar. It's not just entertainment for the shabby chic masses; Prince Henrik – husband of Queen Margrethe – is a patron and regularly attends the cinema's French season of screenings. | There's an immediate buzz in the retro foyer, which comes from the busy crowd of mixed ages queuing for tickets or chatting in the cafe bar. It's not just entertainment for the shabby chic masses; Prince Henrik – husband of Queen Margrethe – is a patron and regularly attends the cinema's French season of screenings. |
| Denmark has recently produced several successful box office hits such as The Hunt and A Royal Affair and, according to a Cineuropa report, in 2012 it had the highest cinema attendance for 30 years. This growing sense of national pride in the film industry, combined with the fact that tickets are reasonably priced, are probably some of the reasons why Danish cinema (and the Grand Teatret in particular) feels so popular right now. | Denmark has recently produced several successful box office hits such as The Hunt and A Royal Affair and, according to a Cineuropa report, in 2012 it had the highest cinema attendance for 30 years. This growing sense of national pride in the film industry, combined with the fact that tickets are reasonably priced, are probably some of the reasons why Danish cinema (and the Grand Teatret in particular) feels so popular right now. |
| The programme | The programme |
| This cinema shows leading European films, other independent productions and new Danish releases. It's clear that the proprietors are passionate about programming and benefit from having a willing audience who are keen to watch smaller films which are often overlooked by mainstream movie theatres. Evidence that the directors have their finger is on the pulse of the industry is clear when you consider that in addition to the cinema, they also run film distribution company Camera Eye, whose notable recent signings include Amour, Searching for Sugar Man and Rust and Bone. | This cinema shows leading European films, other independent productions and new Danish releases. It's clear that the proprietors are passionate about programming and benefit from having a willing audience who are keen to watch smaller films which are often overlooked by mainstream movie theatres. Evidence that the directors have their finger is on the pulse of the industry is clear when you consider that in addition to the cinema, they also run film distribution company Camera Eye, whose notable recent signings include Amour, Searching for Sugar Man and Rust and Bone. |
| Further comments | Further comments |
| Often audiences in the UK laugh at the Europa Cinema advert that runs at the start of independent films. You know the piece – it has big jazzy drum beats and long bass solos which play as the names of European cities whizz by. Well, a trip to this cinema feels like walking into the personification of that advert. It's hip, art house and it takes its role seriously – but you feel part of a community of film lovers while you experience it. Before my visit, I had never heard of Europa Cinema's best cinema award – which the Grand Teatret won in 2005 – but now I intend to seek these places out whenever I go abroad. Because if this Grand Dame is anything to go by, they are places worth travelling to. | Often audiences in the UK laugh at the Europa Cinema advert that runs at the start of independent films. You know the piece – it has big jazzy drum beats and long bass solos which play as the names of European cities whizz by. Well, a trip to this cinema feels like walking into the personification of that advert. It's hip, art house and it takes its role seriously – but you feel part of a community of film lovers while you experience it. Before my visit, I had never heard of Europa Cinema's best cinema award – which the Grand Teatret won in 2005 – but now I intend to seek these places out whenever I go abroad. Because if this Grand Dame is anything to go by, they are places worth travelling to. |
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