Odeon Leicester Square (London) | cinema, 1937_construction

 cinema, 1937_construction

The Odeon Leicester Square is a cinema which occupies the centre of the eastern side of Leicester Square, London, dominating the Square with its huge black polished granite facade and high tower displaying its name. Blue neon outlines the exterior of the building at night, making a dramatic presence on the West End. It was built in 1937 on the site of the Alhambra Theatre, a large music hall dating from the 1850s. It is the venue for most of the (royal) premieres in London.

It is the largest cinema in Great Britain and one of the few with its circle and stalls remaining intact. The cinema is fully equipped to show films in 35mm and 70mm on a large screen, as well as extensive stage facilities for the occasional live show. The cinema still has an operating Compton organ and safety curtain detailed in 1930s art-deco motifs. Two sets of tabs (curtains) are also installed. It houses all major digital sound systems: SDDS, Dolby Digital and DTS. It had Great Britain's first wide-screen installed in 1953, and more recently, was the first to have a digital projector installed in 1999.

Seating is approximately 1700 — reduced from nearly 2000 to make way for greater leg-room — with a large circle bar and even 'royal retiring room' for visiting monarchs! Seating is divided between the Royal Circle, Rear Circle and Stalls.

Until 1967, the interior was a magnificent art-deco auditorium, with a ribbed ceiling, concealing stripped lighting. Two bas relief sculpture of naked nymphs were positioned on the side walls, as if leaping towards the screen. All the seats were covered in a faux-leopard skin material. A rather misguided modernisation in 1967 destroyed much of this grandeur, although since the 1980s, restoration programmes have restored much of this detail, including the figures and seating pattern.