On 7 November 1935, the Savoy Cinema opened its doors to screen its first film, Flirtation Walk, a musical romance starring Dick Powell. It was likely that only the Lenton locals took any notice of this event because, at that time, there were 52 other cinemas in and around Nottingham. So if it wasn’t that extraordinary then, what is its place in Nottingham today? And how in Cockleman’s name has it survived so long when the others have not?
Savoy’s first manager was Philip McLaglen, nephew of Hollywood star Victor McLaglen, and the group behind it was Lenton Picture House Limited. Controlling the cinema right up until 1994, their roots can be traced back to 1917, with one of the company’s directors linked to Nottingham’s first purpose-built cinema, the Victoria.
The cinema was designed by the fantastically named Reginald William Gaze Cooper. A Nottingham architect, he designed a further four cinemas in the city, of which only the Capitol in Radford and the Futurist in Basford are still standing. The Savoy - his first cinema design project – could originally seat 1,200 people, and was used for filming scenes for Saturday Night and Sunday Morning in 1960. Its single auditorium was rebuilt in 1972, when the original Vitrolite cladding was removed, and it upgraded to three screens. It has since had a fourth added.
During October half term, the current manager, Paul Scotton, was running around prior to showings of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Turbo making sure that they started on time, that every child in need of a booster seat received one, and the party attendees in screen one were happy. “The parties have really taken off,” he told me, “We’ve had six today.” Paul, who previously worked at multiplexes, compared his experiences, “Being an independent, it’s a nicer atmosphere and you know your colleagues have your back.”
I got a peek behind the scenes at the projectors - still large, intimidating machines, despite being brand new digital affairs. “Just before I started here in March, they moved to digital,” Paul explained. “I understand how nice the look of film is, but from an operational point of view you can see why, even for independent cinemas, it is better to go digital. The amount of films you can show increases because they’re easier to manage and transport between screens.”
Much of the cinema’s success could be credited to its location in a densely populated student area. “They are one of our biggest clientele, but at the same time business was constant over the summer when many students went home; we have a lot of families and local residents. The affordable ticket pricing also makes a huge difference.”
There are people who seem to be drawn to the Savoy because of its aged character. “We want people to come in and have the film experience, whether they like the film or not.” Do people visit just to look at the building? “I’ve toured a few people around. A lot of older people, who haven’t been to the cinema in twenty years, they come to see how it has changed.”
Last year, the Savoy seemed to come under threat due to the building of the new Lenton flats and the subsequent loss of parking space. Was there an actual drop in turnout? “I think so, but it was only a short dip,” Paul maintained. “We had to get in touch with the council because they were enforcing parking restrictions that weren’t necessary. They ended up refunding anyone who had received a ticket.” With ample parking space on the surrounding streets, Paul hopes to soon have a map system set up on the website to show the free parking. “There’s a good bus route, too,” he added.
The Savoy brand looks to be in a strong position, there are two sister cinemas in Worksop and Boston. With a new party room and offices behind screen one, there are further plans to open up the bar area and to revitalise the main screen. However, Managing Director James Collington – who has been with the Savoy for nineteen years – said there are bigger plans afoot, “we’re looking for more sites; ideally a dozen over the next few years, within a 100 mile radius of Nottingham.”
It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up with faceless multiplexes. Let’s just hope that the Savoy remains as it is – a rare gem that has maintained a bit of class and magic for film lovers throughout the decades.
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