100 YEARS at the PHOENIX Archive of an Oxford Cinema 1913 – 2013
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100 YEARS AT THE PHOENIX Archive of an Oxford Cinema 1913 – 2013 Hiu M Chan Dedicated to the Phoenix and Oxford with love This archive is part of a post-graduate research project and so is work-in-progress. While every effort has been made to weed out errors and inconsistencies – derived from the source material (newspaper microfi che archives) – some will have inevitably slipped through. If you spot any errors and omissions please get in touch via the website http://phoenixcentenary.wordpress.com and we will update the database. The publishers are not responsible for the verifi cation of the entries; that is my remit. Thank you. Hiu M Chan and the Phoenix Centenary Project Published in conjunction with the centenary of the Oxford Phoenix Picture, 57 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6AE © Hiu M Chan, 2013 All right reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written permission of the author. ISBN 978-0-9567405-5-7 Design: Nick Withers Associate Editor: James Harrison Film lists typeset in Helvetica Neue Digitally printed and bound in England by Charlesworth Press, Wakefi eld, Yorkshire A special limited hardback edition was also published exclusively for use in the cinema on the 100th anniversary, 15th March 2013. For further details, research feedback, or to input any updates, corrections or amendments please contact: www.hiuandfi lm.com Oxfordfolio, 100A Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE Preface 15th March 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the Phoenix Picturehouse Cinema in Oxford. The Phoenix Centenary Project was organised in 2011 by Dr. Deborah Allison (programmer of City Screen Ltd), Dr. Daniela Treveri-Gennari (director of Film Studies, Oxford Brookes University) and myself in order to celebrate this historic moment. A series of spe- cial events will take place throughout the year at the cinema including special fi lm screenings, exhibitions, and fi nally a book detailing the cinema’s history to be published in Autumn 2013. The book will feature stories from customers and staff, past and present, as well as historical photographs and newspaper cuttings; this publication should appeal to a wider and more general readership. As part of the Centenary Project, this archive research began on the 5th February 2011. It yielded an almost complete list of fi lms shown at the cinema over the past one hundred years. The research was comprehensive and involved interviews, examinations of old cinema programmes (many faithfully collected by customers over the years) and above all, a study of local newspapers from 1913 to 2013. Microfi che copies of the Oxford Mail and the Oxford Times, kept in the newspaper archive at Oxfordshire History Centre and Oxford Central Library, provided listings for the cinema since the beginning of business; these were often supplemented by fi lm reviews. Sean Kelly and Leyla Richardson, Film Studies students from Oxford Brookes University, assisted me voluntarily throughout the research. Sean was responsible for collecting material for the years between 1950 and 1979, while Leyla collected information for the year 1980. Both students’ contributions were invaluable, and provided them with unique research experience. Some early fi lms shown at the cinema must be categorised as lost fi lms, as further information does not exist anywhere. Many other early titles, for example Sandy and Shorty Work Together (1913) and Cinderella of Cripple Creek (1916), are remarkably revealing of contemporary attitudes and unthinkable in modern times I was delighted when Oxfordfolio showed a genuine interest in publishing the archive. Publisher James Harrison and designer Nick Withers devoted their professionalism to the fi nal outcome of this book, for both the exhibitional version and the standard version. Thanks to their help, this result is now available to libraries, researchers and individuals. I believe this archive will mark a great start to the one-year celebration, appealing both to those who have been the regulars of the Phoenix Cinema throughout the century, and those who are interested in cinema and fi lm history in general. Students and researchers in particular will have at their fi ngertips a peerless guide to cinema-going and, in a wider sense, social and leisure habits of the British in the twentieth century. Most importantly, there are memories lingering in every single one of these fi lm titles. Hiu M. Chan Contents Decade Page 1910s .........................................................................................................................................7 1920s .......................................................................................................................................15 1930s .......................................................................................................................................33 1940s ........................................................................................................................................53 1950s .......................................................................................................................................72 1960s ........................................................................................................................................90 1970s ......................................................................................................................................108 1980s ......................................................................................................................................134 1990s ......................................................................................................................................168 2000s ......................................................................................................................................207 2010s ......................................................................................................................................248 Foreword The starting point for our research for the Phoenix Centenary Project was the memories of current cinema customers. By talking to a wide range of people, we began to learn about the many ways in which the experience of visiting the cinema has touched their lives. A cinema is far more than bricks and mortar. It can be a communal space for cementing familial or romantic relationships, or in which new bonds are forged with likeminded people. It can be a private space, in which the worries of everyday life can be put to one side for a couple of pleasurable hours. For many, it has engendered life-changing experiences, leading to new perspectives on art or politics, or shaping personal philosophies. The generosity with which people have shared their own stories has been both inspiring and humbling. The history of The Phoenix (or The Scala, as many longstanding customers still think of it) is intimately bound up with the people who have visited it over the years, along with its front of house staff, and its various operators. The number and range of conversations, letters, and emails we’ve had during the research process has been astonishing and gratifying in equal measure. The degree of passion so many have expressed has reinforced to me the magnitude of the responsibility I have inherited in my current role as one of the custodians of this extraordinary place. The words of staff and patrons both old and young inspire me to be a better programmer, and to do everything I can to preserve the venue’s legacy as a social and cultural hub for past, present, and future generations. A cinema is nothing without its customers, but the amazing loyalty of the Phoenix regulars resides in positive experiences of the fi lms on offer and the service offered by its knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. The cinema has seen many changes over the years, but the opportunity to enjoy the best of world cinema and, more recently, streamed opera, theatre, and ballet, has ensured that this unique venue continues to offer an unparalleled service to the local community. This autumn, we will be releasing a book that describes the venue’s ups and downs over the past 100 years, and which features extracts from the many personal accounts so generously shared with us. We will also launch a web site featuring further stories and photographs, and we hope that you will use its feedback facilities to continue to add your own com- ments and memories. In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy our small exhibition – a taster of things to come – and this record of the jaw- dropping array of fi lms screened across the cinema’s long life. This unique archive – a labour of love compiled by Hiu M. Chan with assistance from Sean Kelly and Leyla Richardson – is both a microcosm of British fi lm exhibition history and a testament to the exceptional nature of the programming of Oxford’s oldest (almost) continuously-operating cinema. The centenary project has been an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience for all involved. We hope you will enjoy the results as much as we’ve enjoyed the process. Across the year, we will be hosting a programme of special screenings of some of the most fondly remembered fi lms listed in this volume, as well as showings of the best new local, national, and world cinema titles we can lay our hands on. Please join us in celebrating our cinema’s heritage, and continuing to offer the feedback we need to ensure its ongoing development as a place of leisure,