The Prince Charles Cinema in London’s thriving and vibrant West End is in danger of closing. It has been a stalwart of art-house, independent, nay cult, viewing for decades. A petition…
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-prince-charles-cinema
…is linked in the OP, if you are interested. Thanks all.
I was dropping in to post this.
Appalling news. I cannot urge people strongly enough to sign this petition.
The PCC isn’t just a cinema, it’s an institution, and it’s been woven into the tapestry not just of my own life, but the lives of thousands of others.
I have far too many happy memories of the place to give a full account of what the PCC means to me. Taking my kids to a raucous double bill of Top Gun and Maverick. Staying up all night watching Michael Mann movies. Sat beside my wife watching True Romance, year after year. Meeting actual Tommy Wiseau. Spending 8 hours on a Sunday sat behind Woody Harrelson watching Alan Pakula films. The night lockdown ended, the PCC reopened and my mates celebrated by all getting together to watch a socially distanced double bill of La Haine and The Thing. Seeing Barry Lyndon on a 35mm print. Festive trips to watch Home Alone, Die Hard and It’s A Wonderful Life. The occasion they screened Monster Squad to queues round the block. Watching my first Truffaut, my first Kurosawa, my first Malick. Attending an all night Arnold Schwarzenegger marathon eight hours before my wife unexpectedly went into labour with my youngest. Discovering literally countless incredible movies, alongside the warmest and most appreciative audience you will find in any cinema in the world. I’m literally booked to go see a double bill of Albert Brooks’ Mother and James Cameron’s The Abyss in a couple of weeks time. Where else?
I can count the milestones of my life in PCC visits. It’s home away from home for my friends and I. My kids complain when too much time passes without a visit. It is an unalloyed Good Thing in a time of plentiful bad things, and only a scoundrel would even attempt to do away with it, not least because it’s currently thriving in an era where most cinemas are not.
Must everything good and beautiful in the world be lost to avarice? This cinema is an irreplaceable gem, the centre of a thriving and offbeat community. A place where people go to learn about film, to watch old classics and discover new favourites. It is the very soul of the locale. The idea of knocking it down and replacing it with – what – yet another hooky night club and some office space is nauseating.
Signing the petition will probably achieve nothing at all, but right now it’s what there is. Please do sign it.
As it asks for a postcode do they ignore any signings that are not in the London environs catchment area?
I’ve done this before and read that ones outside the area are ignored.
Good luck.
Signed. I imagine that the deals have been done by now. It’ll be a shame if it goes it’s been doing a great job for so many years now.
The PCC are saying they’ll litigate if needs be, and reportedly the proposed break right in the new lease is subject to the landlord receiving planning permission. Not a total done deal yet. 🙏🙏🙏
When I lived in London in the mid 80s there were a number of such cinemas. The arrival of the video recorder and rental stores killed most of them off. Hope it can be saved
Signed.
I remember watching stuff like magnificent Big Wednesday there, but also some terrible movie about bee attacks that was lip synced live. It’s that kind of place.
On a trip to the smoke last December we wandered past and saw the queue of people waiting to see a sing along version of Muppet Christmas Carol. What bliss.
Would be a terrible shame to lose this institution…
Signed the petition – hope it can be saved!