Unveiling Eros and West End cinemas

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

Unveiling Eros and West End cinemas

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
London
1985-01-01
Sound
2m

Relive the 1980s in this nostalgic film from Alan Stingemore - featuring a variety of flagship cinemas, the relocation of Eros as well as a few cinemas that have since disappeared

We begin with views of a fenced off Piccadilly Circus where the relocated Eros monument awaits a grand unveiling. News crews and the public are seen crowding around the monument. Ken Livingstone can be seen chatting to officials. After a short montage of West End flagship cinemas we see a crane lowering a cage.People in the cage unveil Eros while a large crowd looks on. There follows another montage of cinemas in other parts of the West End and an ex-cinema in Kilburn.

Between the 1950s and 1990s Alan Stingemore made a considerable number of films covering a wide variety of subjects with a particular emphasis on railways and cinemas. His films often capture memorable events like those shown in this film or last 'glimpses' of subjects that were about to disappear forever. During the 1980s Alan travelled throughout the region and beyond filming old cinemas, particularly if they were about to be demolished. These films form a fitting tribute to the memory of these buildings, often designed in the 'Moderne' or Art Deco style, which are now lost forever.

Silver Screens: A Century of Cinemagoing

From the picture palaces of the past to modern multiplexes...

The cinema has always been so much more than just a place to watch films. At the heights of its powers, the silver screen stood for spectacle, sophistication, electricity and elegance as well as entertainment, and the very venues themselves were star attractions. These architectural marvels stood proud in cities and towns up and down the country, enthralling audiences in their thousands in the days when "going to the pictures" was a national pastime.

For over a century, cinema has endured, and cinemas have changed with the times. The rise of television, video and home cinemas may have splintered the cultural dominance of the movies while bringing films to smaller and more convenient screens, but the thrill of the communal experience remains - as do many of the monumental structures themselves, whether they have been converted into bingo halls, renovated into plush modern picture houses, or left to loom over the high street.

This collection celebrates the cinema as both a cultural icon and a haven for generations of starry-eyed dreamers, and documents the changing face of filmgoing from the bygone bioscopes and the lavish picture palaces of yesteryear to the sticky-floored multiplexes of today. So dim the lights, grab your popcorn, and lose yourself in the magic of the silver screen.