Savoy Cinema
Encyclopedia
The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland
for film premières.
screen, and showed Ireland
's first widescreen
feature, The Robe
, at the time owned by Odeon Ireland Ltd.
In 2004, renovation work was carried out, moving the box office from the two booths located on either side of the entrance to what was formerly an adjoining shop. The confectionery counter has also moved many times, but is presently at its original location, between the doors of Screen 1.
connection. Films shown here have included Alexander
, Once
and The Man in the Iron Mask
. The cinema is also used during the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
, and is primarily used for big-event screenings such as opening and closing night shows. It also hosts the surprise film, which in 2006 was the first Irish
screening of the film, 300
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
for film premières.
History
The cinema was built in 1929 on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditorium, housing 2,789 seats, opened to the public with the film On With The Show. It was altered in 1954 to incorporate a large CinemaScopeCinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
screen, and showed Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
's first widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
feature, The Robe
The Robe (film)
The Robe is a 1953 American Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope.It was directed by Henry Koster...
, at the time owned by Odeon Ireland Ltd.
Screens
The Savoy holds the dubious honour of being the most altered cinema in Dublin's history, and in 1969 the cinema was converted into a twin cinema. In 1975, the Savoy's restaurant was converted into a third screen, holding 200 seats, followed in 1979 by further sub-divisions, creating five screens in all. In 1988, the cinema was given its sixth screen. In the process, the Savoy had lost a third of its capacity.In 2004, renovation work was carried out, moving the box office from the two booths located on either side of the entrance to what was formerly an adjoining shop. The confectionery counter has also moved many times, but is presently at its original location, between the doors of Screen 1.
Premières
The cinema has hosted the Irish premières of many films, most of them having an IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
connection. Films shown here have included Alexander
Alexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
, Once
Once (film)
Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as musicians...
and The Man in the Iron Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998 film)
The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1998 British/American historical action film directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace. It uses characters from Alexandre Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances, and is very loosely adapted from some plot elements of The Vicomte de Bragelonne. It also bears several...
. The cinema is also used during the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is a film festival that is held annually in February over the course of ten days in Dublin, Republic of Ireland-History:The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003...
, and is primarily used for big-event screenings such as opening and closing night shows. It also hosts the surprise film, which in 2006 was the first Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
screening of the film, 300
300 (film)
300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
.