Overview on Tyneside Cinema

By Jissie


It is different from all kinds of cinemas that I have been before. I heard about Tyneside Cinema because of the famous Japanese film “Arrietty”.

It was a surprise to me that the film will be released in this cinema. As a big fan of director Miyazaki Hayao, I visited the cinema in Newcastle city centre with excitement and curiosity.

Tyneside Cinema the city's only full-time independent cultural cinema shows films all day every day. The most important feature of the cinema is the films, which are worldwide compare with America-oriented in traditional cinemas.

Different Screen

Another difference from any other traditional cinema is that there are more than one type of screen in the cinema including the classic, the Electra and the Roxy.

The classic is the beautiful art deco screen, which rebuild from a news theatre screen. Currently, it is the heart of the Tyneside Cinema.

Beside, the Electra stadium boasting seating and a little touch of history with amazing mural is a great place for conference and presentation. The Roxy, with green seats beside the Tyneside bar, is a comfortable place for a auditorium and reception-based event.

Social Life

It is not only about watching films in Tyneside cinema, people can hire and hold private or business party here as well. That makes the cinema as a place for social life in the city.

People will not disappoint to have fun here, as there is a bar inside the cinema with live music and craft fairs.

Coffee rooms opened on second floor with beautiful surroundings offers customs a great place to have some food after a 2-hour film in the evening. It seems great for people who want to spend the whole evening in one place.

Learning

Cinema is not a bad choice for dating, but here is another feature in Tyneside Cinema, it seems an opportunity for the family to have fun, as something special here for kids. There are special programs for baby weekly, and films for school children.

Even for colleges, there are programming workshops designed to get students thinking about audiences and institutions. They'll look at how cinemas get the films they screen, and why they choose the ones they do, as well as the practicalities involved in getting people to keep on coming back.

Heritage Displays

Not only films tell story, but also a broad range of heritage displays in the cinema showing the history of the cinema.

The Big Picture- Review

By Hao-ling

Adapted from American writer Douglas Kennedy’s best seller novel, “The Big Picture” is an unpredictable, excited and thrilled French movie which filmed by Eric Lartigau who directed “I Do”, “A Ticket to Space”, “Mais qui a tué Pamela Rose?”

A successful young father of two children, Paul Exben, is casted by Romain Duris, who kills his wife’s lover by accident. Paul hides the body and changes his identity to assume he is the person who is murdered by him, then sneaks out of Paris to Eastern Europe to become a photographer for living.

The background of “The Big Picture” happens in the central of Paris, unless you read the book before, or you will never know actually it happens in wall street, USA.

The script was written by Lartigau and Laurent de Bartillat, they arranged the shots and storyline brilliantly and wisely, compared to the novel, the film still keeps the whole spirits of the novel and takes its time to layout Paul’s life.

The Big Picture is central on main character Paul. Before Paul kills his wife’s lover Gregoire (Eric Ruf), he is a cooperator of lawyer firm, always dressed smart and owns a posh villa in Paris.

Paul wanted to be a photographer when he was young, but afterwards he has became a lawyer to support his family and his wife Sarah (Marina Fois) to become a writer.

Paul is an ideal husband in most of woman’s mind, earning money, loving his wife, adoring the two kids.

However, for Sarah, she thinks it is a way to keep her in the house by Paul instead of well supporting, she feels like herself as a belonging of his husband.

At the same, Sarah is attractive by Gregoire’s willingness to go for his dream and wild appearance, but also she is sick of her husband’s self-loathing.

Once Paul has fled to Eastern Europe, the movie changes the pace, the well-dressed Parisian Lawyer becomes a declasse man who stays at a shitty house with nice view in Montenegro and dresses like an “underground man” taking photos around.

In there, Paul findsreal him, he takes photos of what he sees and becomes a sympathetic social observer and creative artist. He is chasing his dream which he could not make it in in Paris, but he makes it in this small town.

Personally, I think Paul has a happier life in the Eastern Europe, although he has to hide himself from public and could not live with his family, but he becomes a well-developed person by chasing his dream and puts the efforts on what he likes to do.

“The Big Picture” is definitely recommended, apart from very well directing, as you can see, Romain Duris is a compelling presence.

An interview of an overseas student on Tyneside cinema

By Jerry

I am international student in Newcastle University, with studying Master degree of International Multimedia Journalism.

I quietly like all the stuff about arts, media and films.

I knew this cinema via my friends who were also studying Master degree in Newcastle University.

They came to watch films some times, and they strongly recommended me to have a great experience here.

Tyneside Cinema was very impressive, which was one of my best cinemas that I had ever experienced so far.

It is not like the other cinemas in terms of its own style. The common cinemas are quite commercial, such as “Empire” which is only for releasing commercial movies, and as my personally view, its purpose is just to make money.

However, Tyneside cinema has its own unique style and contents, and it is quite different from other cinemas.

It is very original and has a long history, during the 1930s, this old cinema has began to show newsreel and movies to the public when the TV was still in the developing period.

It is just like a living museum. You can see how the old films work, enjoy the tea and coffee room, and obtain some knowledge throughout the Learning corner. With a lot of old and original films, you can enjoy them in a very living way just like you are in the 1930s.

I will definitely go to the Tyneside cinema again.

The review on Streetwise Opera – Fables in Newcastle

By Tracy

Fables is the four short films shot by four UK’s leading composers and four filmmakers by 125 streetwise performers who have the experiences about homelessness before.

I watched this new film event of performing “Film Operas” - Fables at Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle on Friday 18th March. The Independent gave a 4-star review, and described Fables as ‘Stories of survival, rebellion, greed and love come to life in a remarkable marriage of music and film.’

The four short films of Fables are The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Nightingale and the Rose, Hey! Come on Out! and The Hartlepool Monkey.

I enjoy the live theatrical staging at the Tyneside Cinema so much. Before the show, there was a long queue out the cinema, and the band was playing local folk music at the stage before the show began.

This was an utterly brilliant part in Fables that the Streetwise performers popping up from the audience to tell stories, the lights they made and they showered the audience with rose petals. It looked like everyone enjoyed the show, and at the end of Fables, all the people there were dancing and singing and waving hands which was such amazing atmosphere at that moment.

It was lucky that the Newcastle filmmaker of the fourth short film - The Hartlepool Monkey – is sat next to me, and he told me passionately that he went to London for shooting this film.

Trough this opera, the narrator was great and really engaging all the audience to a magical journey. I felt a fantastic time there with a big ovation for the successful performance at the end of the show.

And there is a trailer on Youtube and its website as well,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjlvupq7kuk

The Past of Tyneside Cinema

By Landy

The Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema, which located in Newcastle city centre.

Cinema was designed by local architect George Bell and commissioned by Dixon Scott, who is “Tyneside Cinema’s founding father”.

As we know it was first opened as the "Bijou News-Reel Cinema" on 1 February 1937.

Firstly, it was commonly known as the News Theatre, which plays travel, sport, news films and cartoons. For example, it screened FA Cup Final in 1955 when Newcastle United brought home the FA Cup.

Lord Ramsbotham recalls his boyhood memories of watching the news in this building. Sheila Walker remembers seeing her father for the first time in a news theater.

From 1944 film societies began to hire the News Theatre to show European films not screened in the city’s commercial picture houses.

In 1950s, the Tyneside cinema had grown into the largest film society and demonstrating receptive audience for foreign and experimental film in the UK outside London.

In 1975, the cinema was made to close. The case for re-opening the cinema, then known as the Tyneside Film Theatre, was put together by the Tyneside Filmgoers Group.

The decorated inside the Tyneside cinema was influenced by décor from Dixon Scott’s travel in the Middle East, which meant to represent a Persian palace in Newcastle and was awash with gold, greens and purples.

The Tyneside Cinema as we know it now re-opened in 2008. Many of these features were brought back to life, such as cinema's foyer, a pair of original stained glass windows and mosaic floor tiling that had been hidden for years.

Inside the cinema

Tyneside Cinema has four screens, which are the Classic, the Electra, the Roxy, and the Digital Lounge.

The Classic is original News Theatre auditorium, now is the Tyneside Cinema’s largest space and the heart of the cinema.

The Electra screen 2008, it stadium stating layout and massive cinema screen is ideal for conferences and presentations. The Roxy is Tyneside’s cozy screen just right next door to the Tyneside bar and all decked out in green. The Digital Lounge is 4th screen and used for many of social events and private.

Moreover, the Tyneside coffee rooms is also a historic place, which opened in 1938, a year after the News Theatre. As well as this and the main screen, the building's facilities also included a private cinema, a tea club and a men-only smoking room.

In addition, there are displays of heritage items and contemporary artworks, such as the old film projector, filmstrip and so forth.