Civic Theatre - a peek inside Auckland's Atmospheric Cinema

In August 2011 I wrote a post comparing Auckland's atmospheric cinema, The Civic, built in the 1920s, with an example of modern cinema architecture in the previously named Force cinema complex just up the road.  You will find that post if you enter       A Tale of Two Cinemas in my blog search box.  

The Grand stairway from the lobby

This week together with a few of my colleagues from the Maritime Museum, I had the good fortune to be invited on a private tour of The Civic.   Over my lifetime I have visited this theatre many, many times to see movies, ballets, musicals, comedians, even rock shows but  it has usually been a case of navigating through the crowd to a seat before paying much attention to the surroundings. It is only once seated that the flamboyance and over the top grandeur of the decor hits you.  I can't remember my first visit to this theatre but I can remember being enchanted as a child, the cinema fulfilling the philosophy of atmospheric cinemas, which is that the design should  take the visitor away from everyday life to another exciting and romantic world. To achieve this the interior boasts a  mish mash of exotic themes and locations, the major theme being that of an Indian Moghul palace. 

There are friezes including elephants, camels and palm trees, there are moodily lit suggestions of moorish courtyards, panthers with gleaming eyes, buddhas, great glittering chandeliers, and, the highlight, a vast starry sky overhead complete with scudding clouds and the occasional shooting star. Alas the mighty wurlitzer, which used to keep the audience entertained before the film started, is no longer there, it was a victim of the need to extend the stage to enable live shows. Beautifully restored as authentically as possible in the 1980s The Civic is a Grade 1 listed heritage building and, despite being what we would consider today to be completely over the top it is of its era and much beloved by Aucklanders. 

The stage and proscenium arch designed to look like a Moghul's Palace
(photo by Auckland Live)

It is interesting to note that just as stage sets can create illusions of buildings and permanancy so too does the construction of the interior decor of The Civic.  What looks like solid stone is simply plywood coated in layers of plaster

The illusion of an evening in a moorish courtyard adds to the atmosphere

The only time I'll ever be on the stage!

The chandelier features elephants and crocodiles

                     And over all a starry sky complete with shooting stars             and scudding clouds
(apologies for the poor quality of this photo)

Atmospheric cinemas had their heyday in the 1930's when cinema was still relatively new and a night at the movies was quite an occasion. This was the Golden Age of Hollywood and people dressed up for their evening out looking forward to a night of entertainment.  The atmospheric cinema took them off to a fantasy world where they could forget their cares and dream of far away places. The cinema decor was designed to enhance the whole experience.  Nowadays movie theatres are austere and prosaic the idea being not to distract the audience from the purpose of the visit which is to concentrate on the movie.  Although still a popular activity, going to the cinema is not "the occasion" it once was. It is interesting to see how the philosophy of movie going has evolved. Auckland is very fortunate to have its very own atmospheric cinema which gives us a valuable peek into the entertainment world of the 1930s. 

Tours are open to the public but must be booked.  

Visit www.aucklandlive.co.nz for times and costs. 

 I can highly recommend it.