The Screen On The Green
Encyclopedia
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
facing Islington Green
Islington Green
Islington Green is a small triangle of open land at the convergence of Upper Street and Essex Road in the London Borough of Islington...
in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The current building was opened in 1913 and it is one of the oldest continuously running cinemas in the UK. It is an example of the many purpose-built cinemas that followed the regulations set by the Cinematograph Act 1909
Cinematograph Act 1909
The Cinematograph Act 1909 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It was the first primary legislation in the UK which specifically regulated the film industry...
.
It is distinctive in the local area due to its façade outlined in red neon, along with a large canopy used for advertising current and upcoming films and events.
The cinema is operated by Everyman Media Group.
Early history and foundation (1910 - 1913)
Cinematic entertainment began at number 83 Upper Street when the Pesaresi brothers ran their original animated picture show in the then vacant shop. After success, and gaining financial assistance from Thomas Harrold who ran the "fancy drapery" store next door at number 82, they bought out Stean's Printers, Fosdykes' Confectionery and Vivian Lester's Sign Writers, numbers 84 to 86 respectively. They demolished the old shops and built a new purpose-built electric theatre designed by architects Boreham & Gladding, which opened in October 1913.The Empress Picture Theatre (1913 - 1951)
Renamed from The Empress Electric Theatre shortly after opening, the new cinema seated 600 on a single floor. It was originally considered very smart, though by the late 1930s it had become tatty and was compared unfavourably with the new picture palaces of the time. It was however cheap and remained very popular with local children.The Rex (1951-1970)
The Empress was closed, refurbished and re-opened in December 1951 as The Rex. Its capacity was reduced slightly to 514 and a new single seat pricing policy was introduced, initially all seats being 1s 9d. The reopening ceremony included a fanfare of trumpets from the Islington Air Training CorpsAir Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
.
In the early sixties the cinema ran regular film shows for the local Turkish population. The films were specially flown over from Turkey and shown without subtitles. In the late sixties the local Greek community organised Greek language film shows which ran every Sunday. The Rex closed on 20 June 1970.
The Screen On The Green (1970 - present)
The cinema re-opened on 13 September 1970 as The Screen On The Green after being purchased by Romaine Hart's Mainline Pictures Group. It was comprehensively refurbished and modernised in February 1981 to plans by architect Fletcher Priest, one of the main modifications being the creation of foyer space, something the original building never had. This reduced the seating capacity to 300. It was operated as part of the small independent Screen Cinemas circuit until 2008, when the circuit was sold to the Everyman Media Group.In December 2009 the cinema underwent its third major refurbishment, the main change being the addition of a full size bar within the auditorium space. The seating was also replaced, the new seats being flanked by plush two-seater sofas with footrests, sold at a premium. It has retained the charm of its original barrel vault ceiling, its iconic working red curtain, and the exterior, which is especially noticeable at night due to its neon outline and sign.
Live events
Aside from films, the cinema is probably most widely known for its 'Midnight Special' on Sunday 29 August 1976 when The ClashThe Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
supported The Sex Pistols in a showcase event organised by Malcolm Maclaren. This was notable for many reasons including, it was only The Clash's third gig and the first ever to be recorded, and is the earliest known recorded performance and a rare recording of The Sex Pistols with Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
. The Screen On The Green was also the location for the first performance of Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
with the Sex Pistols, on April 3, 1977, following the dismissal of Matlock from the band.
The Screen On The Green's 2009 refurbishment included the addition of a full-size stage in front of the screen, making the venue more suitable for live events. Since then the cinema has hosted award-winning comedy from Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
, Stephen K Amos and Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
amongst others.