Cinema now the last of its kind in county
It is the last of its kind in Shropshire. The Majestic Cinema, in Bridgnorth, has fought back from several attempted closures to remain a thriving venue for all good film buffs.
The cinema, in Whitburn Street, now draws film lovers who yearn for a nostalgic look at how cinemas once looked, while also bringing in those who simply want to see the latest releases.
Manager James Frizzell is constantly looking at ways to promote the venue and has recently signed a deal with Universal Studios for the cinema to get press screenings for films two weeks before they come out on general release.
The first was a tongue-in-cheek comedy-drama starring Status Quo, called Bulla Quo, but the plan is to get the biggest blockbusters into Bridgnorth before most places in the county.
Mr Frizzell said: "This was our first press screening but we're hoping to do more, with some of the bigger blockbusters making their way on to the screen.
"Bulla Quo won't be released until July 5 in cinemas. It's an early release through Universal Studios.
"Our aim is to make the Majestic the hub of films for Shropshire."
Mr Frizzell, 36, has also recently started screening live performances from across the globe, putting some of best actors and dancers in the world on the town's big screen – which was once the biggest in Shropshire.
"We're always looking at different things to do," he said. "Swan Lake was shown from St Petersburg recently and that was a brilliant night, which filled the venue.
"We'll be showing Macbeth live from the Royal Albert Hall soon, starring Kenneth Branagh.
"We've had satellite installed so we can stream the productions live.
"We're really well supported by Reel Cinemas, which took the venue over in 2001."
The cinema was described as The Theatre Beautiful when it was first opened by Lady Acton in 1937.
One its major selling points was that "every hour more than three-quarters of a million cubic feet of fresh air is mechanically delivered into the auditorium, after being roughly washed to remove all impurities, and then warmed to a suitable temperature". This was to stop any irritation in the days when people could smoke while watching a film.
The projection room was modelled on the finest London West End Supers, using Super Simplex projectors, which were fitted with the latest devices to prevent fire. The first manager was Mr G H Carlton, who came to Bridgnorth from Leicester Square, in London, while The Majestic's first architects and surveyors were J Owen Bond and Son, of Norwich and London.
Inside the building still has the original stained glass windows, and if someone is unfortunate to break a light bulb it causes a lot of headaches because they can no longer be replaced.
"I've been here since 2007 having studied film at Bournemouth and living in Spain for a while," said Mr Frizzell. "I was born in Bridgnorth and lived in Bramble Ridge for a few years so I've come full circle."
It hasn't all been plain sailing for The Majestic, which has faced closure on a number of occasions.
Such was the situation at the turn of the millennium when the then manager, Barry Willis, held discussions about the site being used for sheltered housing.
The former Bridgnorth District Council was asked to look at transforming the cinema into a community media centre.
But the Majestic was saved from closure by Kailash Suri, of Curzon Cinemas, Loughborough, Leicestershire, which was eventually renamed Reel Cinemas.
The Majestic went on to thrive and the ambitious Mr Frizzell has many ideas for the venue. "I'm producing local young director James Farina's next venture, For The Love Of Ella, which stars Ewan Macintosh, Celebrity Big Brother 7 winner and cage fighter, Alex Reid, TV presenter Melanie Sykes and Bobby Ball," he said.
"They are all doing it for nothing at the moment having read the script, which was written by Simon Golding.
"We're all coming together and hope to eventually form our own company, Salopian Films.
"We've just got to get the £8,000 together but we've already raised £3,000.
"We'll be shooting for two weeks in September filming at Astbury Hall, London and the Prince Albert in Wolverhampton.
"For the music and arts festival this year we're planning on hosting a short film festival rather than an animation festival.
"There's lots going on at the cinema and we'll keep looking at ways of bringing more people in."
