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Topic: What should I go see in Europe?

Jarret Chessell
Master Film Handler

Posts: 288
From: London, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 05-16-2009 12:14 AM

I'm leaving for a trip to tour around Europe for three weeks. We do have a lot of things to stop and see as part of the tour (we get to stop at Cannes Film Festival Centre). I was wondering if anyone else had some special points of interest to a film geek that I should see. I have "spare" time in the following cities:

London
Lake Lucerne
Venice
Rome
Nice
Paris

I'm curious to see your ideas!

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 05-16-2009 05:34 AM

Although I haven't been to Europe, I'd want to see some of Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain/Portugal. But to hit all of those makes for a long trip.

Oh nevermind. You were asking about specifics for those cities. Oops.

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Elia Orselli
Film Handler

Posts: 42
From: Imola, Bologna, Italy
Registered: Feb 2008

posted 05-16-2009 05:48 AM

In Turin there's the National Museum of Cinema. The museum is interesting and the setting is the best: the Mole Antonelliana.
In Milan there's Cinemeccanica's eadquarters/factory.
In Rome there are Cinecittà studios, but sometimes is opened to turists.

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 05-16-2009 06:14 AM

England: Museum of the Moving Image in London

Not film, but Duxford, a working air museum with planes actually flying. A small piece of WW II preserved mostly as it was. Louis

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 05-16-2009 04:50 PM

quote: Louis Bornwasser
England: Museum of the Moving Image in London

Not film, but Duxford, a working air museum with planes actually flying. A small piece of WW II preserved mostly as it was. Louis

MoMI is long closed; must be getting on for ten years ago now. Some of the space was used as offices, but much of it is now part of the 'BFI South Bank' complex, which includes the National Film Theatre. It's close to Waterloo Stetion, and the BFI London IMAX is between the two, but if the weather is good then I'd suggest taking the Underground to Embankment station, which is on the opposite (North) side of the river. Directly outside the station (there are exits on both sides of the station, make sure you take the one on the river side) there is a railway bridge crossing the river, and on either side of this are footbridges, there are great views of London from these bridges, The road bridge to your left (East) is Waterloo Bridge, and the BFI complex is built under the South end of this. It's unlikely that you'd be able to get a projection room visit at the NFT; they don't normally allow people up there. They used to hold 'Technical Open Days' a couple of times a year with a limited number of places which had to be pre-booked, but these seem to have stopped several years ago.

A few minutes walk from Embankment Station in the other direction will take you to Leicester Square where the Odeon and Empire cinemas are. I don't know if either of these would allow a visit to the 'box'. The previous chief at the Odeon did allow visits from time to time, but he retired a couple of years ago; I've not tried at the Empire.

There is actually a Cinema at the Duxford site, the 'Astra'. It used to give public shows as part of the museum, but I think it's in a part of the site which is no longer open to the public; this was the case a few years ago. The Projected Picture Trust has some equipment there, but I've never been as it's difficult to get to. It's a part of the Imperial War Museum. Their main site is in London, not too far from Waterloo, and so could be combined with a visit to the BFI. The Imperial War Museum holds a large film archive, though not on a site open to the public; they do give film shows however.

One of the oldest purpose-built cinemas in Britain (I'm not going to say the oldest, because there are several possible contenders depending on exactly how you define the term) is the Phoenix, East Finchley. It's almost opposite East Finchley Underground station, on the other side of the road. It was built in 1910, modernised, and the auditorium turned round the opposite way and a new projection room provided, in 1938, and various other alterations were made in the '70s and again a few years ago, but the auditorium retains much of its original decoration. You would stand a reasonable chance of getting a projection room visit there; it's equipped for both 16mm and 35mm film, and digital.

If you fancy a journey of about two and a half to three hours from London you can get to Bradford. Take a train from King's Cross station to Leeds, and change there for the local train to either Bradford Interchange, or Bradford Forster Square. Both stations are just a few minutes walk from the National Media Museum, previously the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. If you can arrange to be there on the first Saturday of the month they run 'This is Cinerama'. There's also the Widescreen Weekend, part of the Bradford International Film Festival, in March each year.

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Jarret Chessell
Master Film Handler

Posts: 288
From: London, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 05-16-2009 11:48 PM

These are some good suggestions. Thanks Stephen for putting in the directions. I'll be sure to print it off and take it with me. Vintage cinemas I find especially interesting. I wont be able to make it for "This is Cinerama" (Which I always thought was cool, and after picking up the blu-ray of "How the West Was Won" and seeing those special features I've really been interested in seeing a Cinerama presentation.

Also, I'm pretty pumped about Terminator: Salvation... but I'll be in Rhineland on Thursday (is that the release date over there too?). I wonder if it would still be fun to watch in German?

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 05-17-2009 11:14 AM

FYI: trains work better in the UK (& the rest of Europe) than they do in the USA.

In Munich there is one English language cinema, near the technical University. The Cinema and the technical conditions are always superb. Louis

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 05-17-2009 11:20 AM

Their universal health care system.

Let us know how that's working out.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 05-17-2009 11:25 AM

Did you ever see Eurotrip?

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 05-18-2009 01:27 PM

On the last day during my trip to London early last year, I took a bus tour to see some famous sites in the city including Westminster Abby, Tower of London, Covent Garden where we had lunch. We also stopped and saw the royal mounted guards preparing for their daily routine as well as driving past St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and various place around the city. I sure wish I had more time in London because it was an opportunity of a life time and there was so many other things I wanted to see. I bought a Blu Ray travelogue disc last week on the United Kingdom and it was excellent and featured tour segments on London, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. London and the rest of the UK is very beautiful and God willing, I hope to go back there again for a longer visit.

-Claude

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 05-18-2009 09:13 PM

London is full of things to do, what you do just depends on whether you want to do the history, the modern stuff or both. The best advice is to imagine the city as about 100 different small towns or villages, then you don't get so lost.

Check out the film programme at the Riverside Studios www.riversidestudios.co.uk they are the best rep cinema in London and usually have some interesting films on.

The Prince Charles Cinema is also a good place for second-run www.princecharlescinema.com

As for films in Germany, I believe most larger cinemas on the continent have a dubbed and a subtitled print of American releases. I think the notation in the listings is OV or OmU when it has subtitles.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 05-18-2009 09:30 PM

How about a visit to:

Lionel Fouillen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 161
From: Liège, Belgium
Registered: Nov 2002

Try the Fries...they're delicious!

quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Check out the film programme at the Riverside Studios www.riversidestudios.co.uk they are the best rep cinema in London and usually have some interesting films on.

I've worked there. They actually run emulsion out on feed and take-up. Maybe one of Brad's early installs? [Wink]

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Jeremy Jorgenson
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1002
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: Feb 2005

posted 05-20-2009 02:23 PM

I asked a similar question a few years ago ...

Europe: Thoughts and Suggestions

most of my trip was in Eastern Europe - but there's some discussion of getting around London in there. Perhaps you can glean something from it. [Smile]

I also lived in Poland for 18 months, but I guess I don't really have any threads about that.

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Lionel Fouillen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 230
From: Belgium
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 05-22-2009 07:39 AM

Jarret,

quote: Stephen Furley
MoMI is long closed - Leicester Square where the Odeon and Empire cinemas are. I don't know if either of these would allow a visit to the 'box'. The previous chief at the Odeon did allow visits from time to time, but he retired a couple of years ago; I've not tried at the Empire.

Yeah, it' a pity the MoMI never reopened. I was always fascinated by this museum and paid it a visit everytime I was in London. I visited the booth of the Empire (and the whole building) in the 1990s. Unfortunately as far as I know, none of the people who worked there are still at the Empire today. but if you can, you should be impressed by the technology involved.

quote: Jeremy Jorgenson
Poland

If you want to quickly discover Eastern Europe, you may stop at Krakow, Poland. The city is great although not as prestigious as the capitals you mentioned.The slavic culture is very rich. And there is the Kijow cinema where I saw a couple of films, great theater with huge screen and appropriate masking and red curtains, JBL speakers, 70mm and 3-D digital.

quote: John Wilson
Belgium

Our fries are indeed delicious, as are our beers, chocolate, and waffles [Big Grin]

Have a great trip anyway...

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 05-22-2009 10:56 AM

Not in Paris, but not too far by high speed train, in Poitiers, you could go to Futuroscope if you like film-based attractions (Imax 3D, Imax magic carpet, Omnimax/Imax Dome, a variety of digital 3D attractions and simulators, etc).

http://www.futuroscope.com/eng/attraction.php

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