The Savoy Cinema

The Savoy Cinema/Dark Horse

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22/10/15

We’re at the cinema again and the film we’re here to see is Dark Horse, a charming documentary about the racehorse Dream Alliance. Bred by a consortium of working class people from a former pit village in Wales, the horse went on to become a major player on the racetrack and this is his story, told by the people of the village. It’s an absolute charmer of a film and one which I would normally award more review space to, but tonight is a little bit different, because it’s mostly all about the cinema; the recently refurbished Savoy in Heaton Moor, and frankly that’s something I never expected to be able to say.

The Savoy has been in Heaton Moor since 1923 and it’s seen some changes along the way, not all of them for the better. The last time I was here was shortly before it closed down and the place was in desperate need of some TLC. Grubby, dilapidated and worn down by years of neglect, there were maybe half a dozen people in the audience. I remember joking that I wouldn’t visit again unless I’d had my malaria shots first. But what a change is here, my friends! What a change indeed.

As members of the Friends of the Savoy, we saw Dark Horse at one of the free screenings the Mundin family have set up as an introduction to the venue. On arrival, it was apparent that work wasn’t quite completed. The exterior fascia was still only partly in position and there were heaps of builder’s rubble to negotiate (this despite the team seeming to work every hour of every day to meet their deadline). Those iconic pillars were back, even though they are reproductions, the originals having been so badly damaged in the hideous 70s conversion, they had to be taken down. The place is close to looking its old self (see vintage photo above). Once through the doors though, it really was eyebrow-raising time. What was once a shabby boxlike foyer has now been opened up, with luxury seating for those who wish to quaff a quick drink before the show (people very much like us!)

But it’s when you go into the auditorium that the transformation really hits you. Wow! Can this actually be the same place? The looks of delight on the faces of each successive person who came up the stairs told the story. The word ‘luxurious’ is the first one that springs to mind – and the design team have cleverly avoided turning the place into one of those utilitarian boxes that seem to be all the rage now, opting instead for a traditional look, all wine red velvet, soft cushions and art deco flourishes, a look that hints at the long tradition of the Savoy. The size of the place was also a shock. Around the time of my last visit, much of the back of the cinema was cordoned off and you didn’t really get the full impression of the length of the place, which now seats around 850 customers. We were lucky enough to secure one of the plush double sofas towards the back  and I can’t ever remember watching a film in such total comfort.

Oh and in case you were thinking that old and classic meant shonky equipment, don’t be fooled! The Savoy utilises the latest digital technology and crystal clear Dolby surround sound.

This is a cinema lover’s delight and Heaton Moor is incredibly lucky to have it. What’s more, the owners have compiled a programme of great films, including some live link ups for all the theatre and opera lovers in the community. There will be screenings aimed at senior citizens and screenings aimed at youngsters; seriously, they’ve put some thought into this. You’ll find their new website at savoycinemaheatonmoor.com (not to be confused with the old one, which is still lurking about out there, you be careful!)

The Savoy is something to be cherished, so please repay all that hard work by supporting the place. It’s one of only a few independent cinemas still existing in the North West. To step into that auditorium is like stepping back into a more gracious age, a time when cinema was King. The good news is, it looks as though those days are back.

Oh, and I nearly forgot. The bar does an excellent sauvignon blanc!

Dark Horse 4.5 stars

The Savoy Cinema 5 stars 

The Savoy Cinema – Reloaded

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11/09/15

Heaton Moor, Manchester

For many people (me included) it sounds like the proverbial dream job. But for Louis Mundin and his fiancée, Sophie Smith, it’s soon going to be a reality. This likeable young couple will be managing Heaton Moor’s iconic Savoy Cinema when it reopens, fully refurbished, in late October.

The Savoy has been a fixture on ‘the Moor’ since 1923. Its first feature was silent movie, The Virgin Queen, which was accompanied by music from a string quartet. Over the years, the Savoy has endured, surviving a barbaric 70s refit, sporadic attempts to turn it into a ‘fun-pub’ and the dark mutterings of those who predicted that the advent of digital cinema would finally sound its death knell. But, as it turned out, the doom mongers were wrong. The Savoy is currently in the midst of an extensive refurbishment.

When I arrive on a sunny Friday afternoon, the place is a hive of industry and it’s apparent at a glance that this must be a labour of love, although – at the moment -it’s more like hard labour as the Mundin family work around the clock to ensure they meet their launch deadline of October 23rd. Sophie is painting wood stain onto sheets of plywood, while Louis is in conference with a team of builders. Louis’s mum Amanda is there too, overseeing the workforce and, somewhere amidst the thumping of lump hammers and the screeching of electric saws, I catch a fleeting glimpse of Tony, Amanda’s husband. It’s clear that the Mundins are an industrious crew, who rarely stop for a break, but I eventually manage to coax Louis and Sophie to a (relatively) quiet spot where we can chat.

I begin by asking if this is the realisation of a long-held ambition.

Louis: Well, yes. We first got into cinema about eight years ago, when Mum took over the Ritz Cinema in Belper. We worked there part time, helping out behind the bar and so forth. Me and Sophie both love film so when this opportunity came up, we grabbed it with both hands.

I remark that they seem to possess an enviable skill set between them.

Sophie: Well, we recently did up our home, so we used that very much as a training exercise!

The Savoy offers reasonably priced membership deals and the Mundins were initially expecting to sell 500 of them at most. So they must have been absolutely blown away with the response they’ve had.

Louis: It’s amazing. We’ve been absolutely inundated with support from day one. At last count we had 3,400 members, which is completely unheard of.

Indeed, the response was so enthusiastic that initial plans to restore just a proportion of the Savoy’s seating had to be hastily rejigged and now all 180 seats will be brought back into play – and not just any old seats! The standard kind will be augmented by luxury Pullman style seating and, for the more romantically inclined, there’ll even be double sofas so customers can snuggle up while they view.

Sophie: They are incredibly comfortable seats!

But, I ask, with so many members, what happens if everybody turns up on the same night?

Louis: That would actually be a good problem to have!

Sophie: As with our other cinemas (the family also run the Regal in Melton Mowbray), booking will be a key element. Members will receive film listings a few days prior to general release so they’ll have the opportunity to book seats for the films they really want to see.

Louis: And a week before we officially open we’ll be starting our free members’ previews, a whole week’s worth of them, as a thank you to everyone who has put their faith in us. Depending on take up, we’ll probably also offer free Sunday shows that week, so nobody is disappointed.

I ask what their biggest challenge has been and both of them say that restoring the frontage has been a real struggle. The original plan had always been to expose the elegant Doric columns that supported the portico, but once revealed, it soon became apparent that whoever boxed them in back in the 1970s had not treated them with the necessary degree of respect. In short, they’d knocked the living daylights out of them.

Louis: We worked with the conservation officers on that. It was in everyone’s interests to preserve them, but unfortunately they’d been too badly damaged and were no longer safe. In the end, we had to accept that they’d have to come down, but we’re going to replace them with cast stone pillars, that will recreate the original look. They’ll be as close to identical as we can possibly get.

Of course, it’s not just about restoring the original style. The Savoy will boast state-of-the-art digital projection, surround sound, and there’ll even be live link- ups to ballet and opera events. There’ll be intelligent programming, a mixture of art house and commercial films, silver screen shows for pensioners and weekend matinees for the kids.

I can’t resist asking Louis and Sophie to name their favourite films.

Louis: I’d have to go for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m a massive Peter Jackson fan.

Sophie: I like a good psychological thriller, so I’d definitely go for Shutter Island. It’s got Leonardo Di Caprio and it’s got one of those endings that you can’t stop talking about afterwards.

Plans are already afoot for Halloween. Members have been asked to choose from a shortlist of five movies for the big night. (At the moment, Ghostbusters is the frontrunner, closely followed by The Shining, though my personal choice from the list would have to be Rosemary’s Baby.)

I finish up by asking about the couple’s mission statement. What do they hope to achieve by bringing this beautiful old cinema back to its former glory?

Louis: We want it to be an asset to the community. We would like to give something back to the people who have given us so much faith and trust. We want the Savoy to be one of the best cinemas in the country and there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t be exactly that.

Sophie: The Savoy is going to have the best projection, the best sound, there will be no compromise on quality and people will even be able to enjoy a glass of wine while they watch.

Sounds like heaven, I tell them. Lead me to it!

Read more about the cinema’s progress at

http://www.savoycinemaheaton.com/blog.htm