Paris Pullman Cinema

Paris Pullman Cinema was a former arthouse cinema at 65 Drayton Gardens in Brompton, within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. The venue occupied a converted gymnasium or arms-training hall and first opened as the Radium Picture Playhouse in 1910 or 1911. Its earliest identity was therefore that of a neighborhood picture venue rather than the specialist international cinema for which it later became known. By 1947, the building had stopped operating primarily as a cinema and had become Bolton's Theatre Club. The club used a private-membership model, which helped it avoid the censorship applied to public theatrical productions by the Lord Chamberlain's office. Productions associated with the club included The Horn of the Moon and Dr John Bull; some of its work later transferred to West End runs. This theatrical phase made the building part of London's independent performance culture before its return to film exhibition. In 1955, the property was acquired by Charles Cooper of Contemporary Films, British Film Institute figure James Quinn, and fellow directors Brian O'Sullivan and Ralph Stephenson. Following a substantial makeover, the venue reopened as the Paris Pullman Cinema. Its most recognizable architectural feature was a large lemon-yellow 1950s fascia decorated with lights. Under the new name, the cinema concentrated mainly on contemporary foreign films, giving it a specialist arthouse profile distinct from mainstream commercial cinemas. The Paris Pullman initially attracted a bohemian audience from nearby Earl's Court and Chelsea. During the cultural changes of the 1960s, its audience broadened and the cinema became a prominent destination for international and challenging film. Its programme included work by major European, Asian and American-associated filmmakers, among them Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Bernardo Bertolucci, Walerian Borowczyk, Robert Bresson, Luis Buñuel, Claude Chabrol, Sergei Eisenstein, Miloš Forman, Werner Herzog, Yasujirō Ozu, Nagisa Oshima, Roman Polanski, Satyajit Ray, Jean Renoir, Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrzej Wajda and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The venue's physical appearance changed over time. By the late 1970s, the bright yellow entrance fascia had been replaced by a more austere concrete treatment. The cinema ultimately closed in 1983, and the building was sold for redevelopment. The final film screened there was Fassbinder's Veronika Voss on 8 May 1983. The residential development that replaced the cinema was named Pullman Court, preserving part of the site's association with the former venue. Paris Pullman was connected to Contemporary Films, which also operated cinemas under the Phoenix name in East Finchley and Oxford. After the Paris Pullman closed, Contemporary Films continued activities including film distribution to cinemas and television, home-video and DVD supply, and provision of footage to programme-makers. The Paris Pullman therefore remains significant primarily as a historic London arthouse venue and as an example of the specialist cinema culture that brought international film to wider British audiences.

The building at 65 Drayton Gardens began its entertainment history as the Radium Picture Playhouse, which opened in 1910 or 1911 after conversion from a gymnasium or arms-training hall. The venue later changed function, and by 1947 it had ceased showing films and operated as Bolton's Theatre Club. Because it was run as a private club with compulsory membership, its theatrical productions avoided direct censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's office. Plays associated with the club included The Horn of the Moon and Dr John Bull, with some productions subsequently moving to West End engagements. A decisive change came in 1955, when the building was acquired by Charles Cooper of Contemporary Films, James Quinn of the British Film Institute, Brian O'Sullivan and Ralph Stephenson. They refurbished the premises and relaunched it as the Paris Pullman Cinema. The redesigned frontage featured a large lemon-yellow fascia with lights, giving the venue a distinctive postwar appearance. Its new programming emphasis was contemporary foreign cinema rather than routine mainstream exhibition. The cinema first drew a bohemian audience from the neighboring Earl's Court and Chelsea districts. During the 1960s, its cultural standing grew as international film became more visible in Britain, and the Paris Pullman developed into a major arthouse destination. Its programme represented a broad range of filmmakers and traditions, including European modernism, Japanese cinema, Soviet and Eastern European film, South Asian cinema and experimental or formally distinctive work. Directors associated with screenings at the venue included Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Bresson, Luis Buñuel, Claude Chabrol, Miloš Forman, Werner Herzog, Yasujirō Ozu, Nagisa Oshima, Roman Polanski, Satyajit Ray, Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrzej Wajda and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The building's appearance became less expressive by the late 1970s, when the illuminated yellow fascia was replaced with a more austere concrete frontage. The cinema finally closed in 1983. Fassbinder's Veronika Voss was the last film shown, on 8 May of that year. The property was then sold for redevelopment, and a residential block named Pullman Court was built on the site. The Paris Pullman formed part of the wider Contemporary Films exhibition and distribution network. The company also operated Phoenix cinemas in East Finchley and Oxford. Following the Paris Pullman's closure, Contemporary Films continued distributing films to cinemas and television, supplying videos and DVDs, and providing footage to programme-makers. The cinema's historical importance lies in its role as a London venue that sustained specialist access to international and arthouse film across the postwar period.

• 1983

  Final screening and closure

  [1]Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Veronika Voss is screened on 8 May 1983, after which the cinema closes and the building is sold for redevelopment.

• 1960

  The cinema becomes a leading London arthouse destination

  [1]Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  During the cultural climate of the 1960s, the venue expands beyond its local bohemian audience and gains a broader reputation for international film.

• 1955

  The building is acquired and relaunched as Paris Pullman Cinema

  [1]Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Contemporary Films producer Charles Cooper, James Quinn, Brian O'Sullivan and Ralph Stephenson acquire the venue, refurbish it and return it to film exhibition under the Paris Pullman name.

• 1947

  The venue becomes Bolton's Theatre Club

  [1]Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The building stops operating as a cinema and is used as a private theatre club with compulsory membership.

• 1910

  Radium Picture Playhouse opens

  [1]Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  An entertainment venue opens at 65 Drayton Gardens after the conversion of an earlier gymnasium or arms-training hall. Sources place the opening in 1910–1911.

A specialist London arthouse cinema focused on contemporary foreign and international films, positioned between neighborhood exhibition and culturally prestigious repertory and art-film programming.

• Cinema programming · 1955

  Arthouse film exhibition

  The Paris Pullman's core offering was theatrical exhibition of specialist cinema. After its 1955 relaunch, the venue concentrated mainly on contemporary foreign films and became associated with directors and movements outside the mainstream British commercial circuit. Its programme covered European, Asian and other international filmmakers, helping audiences in London access formally ambitious and culturally diverse work.

• Arthouse cinema · 1955

  International director retrospectives and screenings

  The venue screened films by a wide range of internationally recognized directors, including Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Buñuel, Yasujirō Ozu, Satyajit Ray, Andrei Tarkovsky and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. These screenings formed the cinema's principal cultural identity and attracted audiences interested in international and artistically distinctive film.

• 1983

  Closure and redevelopmentOther

  Background

  After nearly three decades as the Paris Pullman Cinema, the building was no longer retained as a cinema venue.

  Action taken

  The cinema closed, the property was sold for redevelopment, and the cinema building was replaced by residential development.

  Aftermath

  The replacement residential block was named Pullman Court, while Contemporary Films continued other distribution and media activities.

  Source

• 1955

  Repositioning as a foreign-film arthouse cinemaStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the former theatre-club building, Contemporary Films and its associated directors returned it to cinema use.

  Action taken

  The operators refurbished the venue, introduced the Paris Pullman Cinema name and focused programming on contemporary foreign films.

  Aftermath

  The venue developed from a neighborhood attraction into a recognized London destination for international and arthouse cinema.

  Source

1. 1Paris Pullman Cinemaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2London Film: Paris Pullman Cinema venue recordlondonfilm.bbk.ac.uk