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books cinema and theatre photographs and illustrations; including
heritage resources plans, sections and elevations of some
examples. [Above text from cover notes]
reviews This book is a must-have reference
for all those seriously interested in
cinema and theatre architecture and
enterprise…” history. You may be lucky (but most
[From the foreword by Tom McDonald AM, unlikely) to pick up a copy of this book
Foundation Trustee of the Construction and at a second hand book shop, otherwise
Building Unions’ Superannuation Fund] be sure to check it out at your library.
The Regent Theatre: Melbourne’s
Palace of Dreams is a beautifully magazines
designed book with many photographs
and images complementing a most
interesting history and story of the
restoration of the Regent and Plaza
Theatres.

Cinemas Of Australia Via USA
By Ross Thorne
Architecture Department, University of
The Regent Theatre: Sydney, 1981
Melbourne’s Palace of Dreams ISBN 909425 22 1
By Frank Van Straten Cinemas of Australia via USA is an
ELM Publishing, 1996 edited anthology of previously
ISBN 0 9586750 0 7 published documents of Australian
RRP $22 Available from the Regent cinema — building history for over 90
and Princess Theatres. motion picture theatres, together with an
“The history of Melbourne’s Regent and introductory text detailing the
Plaza Theatres is a remarkable saga of development in the USA of cinema
determination to create — pitched design which influenced the architecture
against a series of seemingly of their Australian counterpart.
insurmountable setbacks. In the introduction the author Kino Cinema Quarterly
From its completion in 1929, this commences at the time nickelodeons Australian Cinema and Theatre Society
landmark building has seen as much were beginning to become decorated in Edited by John Adey
drama in life as it ever saw on celluloid: a style which anticipated the great Subscription/Membership: $44
war, depression, fire, street protests, picture palaces of the 1920s. He Contact: Secretary ACTS, PO Box 447,
bans, enquiries, and a quarter of a describes the development of the Campbelltown NSW 2560
century of controversy. ‘atmospheric’ cinema (such as the www.austcinesociety.com.au
The closure of the Regent Theatre in Melbourne Forum and Sydney Capitol), The Summer 2001 edition of Kino CQ
1970 was followed by calls from expounds on the difficulties of defining is bumper issue of 56 pages and has a
successive Lord Mayors for its the Art Deco style and concludes with a wide variety of interesting articles and
demolition. The building survived only glimpse of the Australian architects features, including:
through the protection of union green whose practices specialised in cinema • A colour cover and centrepage spread,
bans and pressure from community design. with an article celebrating the 76th year
groups. The stand-off resulted in over Although the selection of the of the Chelsea Cinema in Marryatville,
twenty years of civic inertia, during Australian buildings is arbitrary it a suburb of Adelaide
which prospects for a meaningful rebirth includes all the major movie theatres in • Melbourne’s Collins Street Metro
of this beloved ‘Palace of Dreams’ the capital cities. There are 350 Theatre
seemed increasingly • Kinema in the Woods, Lincolnshire UK
unlikely. • St James Theatre, Sydney (final part)
It is therefore more • Hollywood composers: Jerry
remarkable that David Goldsmith
Marriner has been able to • Olympic Theatre Manly
achieve such a handsome • South Pacific and Todd-AO
restoration of these • The Kings Theatre, Lindfield NSW
magnificent spaces. He did it • Newsreel Theatres
by bringing together a • The Picture Show Men
number of disparate parties, • The last picture show at the Port Elliot
all of whom became Drive-In SA
essential players in the • Digital Cinema Today.
financial and intellectual ACTS was established in 1982 as the
management of this Australian Theatre Historical Society.

28 Spring 2001 CINEMARECORD