It’s a Wonderful Life was released in 1947 and I had never seen it until this month, having watched it and then discovered that Penistone Paramount Cinema was showing it, I knew I had to book it!
This little single screen Cinema set in the village of Penistone in Sheffield, still has options to sit in the Circle and it still has curtains over the screen. I had a feeling that my Mother and Grandmother who would have attended cinemas when they had this format would love it.
So I booked for the three of us to go, and off we went.
I really wish I’d got a photo of the front of the cinema during my visit because it looked stunning in the dark all lit up, but I very much did enjoy my visit and I’ll absolutely go back some time.
We arrived and showed our tickets at the box office, and entered the cinema. in the bottom of the room just next to the screen is a bar area where you can get Drinks, there’s a little ice cream cart for the intermission, and there’s also a kiosk as you go into the cinema selling popcorn.
The only thing I would say about this cinema that might sound a little negative, think about where you’ll be sitting when you book. If you have very long legs, you need to sit with your legs in the aisle or book a front seat because the circle where I sat is not generous with the leg room. The seats however are rather plush and comfy.
Just before the film started, I discovered that my Grandmother had never actually seen this film, furthermore, she was 15 years old when the film was released and she missed her chance to see it on the big screen. So this outing was perfect!
We all loved the first half of the film, and when the intermission began I asked what they both thought, it was clear they were enjoying it and that really fed my own enjoyment too having just watched it a week before. My Grandmother started telling us stories as we tucked into Hot Chocolate and Mince Pies during our break. She knew of a swimming pool with a dance floor over the pool which opened in the same way as it does in the film, and her and my mother told me about going to the Classic cinema too which used to be in Sheffield City Centre and had a similar set up.
As the second half of the film began we settled down once more to enjoy the rest of the story. Again it was clear how much they were enjoying the film and I myself was enjoying the experience of seeing an old film in an old cinema. I’ve never been to a cinema with a curtain on the screen and I felt like I was sitting in a Theatre.
The end of the film came and almost the entire audience erupted in applause, so I suppose I wasn’t the only one feeling the Threatre vibes.
It was an excellent experience which I’d absolutely do again, but I do think I’d rather see another old film than go and see something modern there. The whole experience just worked so very nicely as we did it.
So there we are, how to bring the Christmas magic to the hearts of three generations in one go!
Rebbie Reviews 