“Almost like a real web site”
 

IN7OMM.COM
Search | Contact
News | e-News |
Rumour Mill | Stories
Foreign Language
in70mm.com auf Deutsch

WHAT'S ON IN 7OMM?

7OMM FESTIVAL
Todd-AO Festival
KRRR! 7OMM Seminar
GIFF 70, Gentofte
Oslo 7OMM Festival
Widescreen Weekend

TODD-AO
Premiere | Films
People | Equipment
Library | Cinemas
Todd-AO Projector
Distortion Correcting

PANAVISION
Ultra Panavision 70
Super Panavision 70
 

VISION, SCOPE & RAMA
1926 Natural Vision
1929 Grandeur
1930 Magnifilm
1930 Realife
1930 Vitascope
1952 Cinerama
1953 CinemaScope
1955 Todd-AO
1955 Circle Vision 360
1956 CinemaScope 55
1957 Ultra Panavision 70
1958 Cinemiracle
1958 Kinopanorama
1959 Super Panavision 70
1959 Super Technirama 70
1960 Smell-O-Vision
1961 Sovscope 70
1962
Cinerama 360
1962 MCS-70
1963 70mm Blow Up
1963 Circarama
1963 Circlorama
1966 Dimension 150
1966
Stereo-70
1967 DEFA 70
1967 Pik-A-Movie
1970 IMAX / Omnimax
1974 Cinema 180
1974 SENSURROUND
1976 Dolby Stereo
1984 Showscan
1984 Swissorama
1986 iWERKS
1989 ARRI 765
1990 CDS
1994 DTS / Datasat
2001 Super Dimension 70
2018 Magellan 65

Various Large format | 70mm to 3-strip | 3-strip to 70mm | Specialty Large Format | Special Effects in 65mm | ARC-120 | Super Dimension 70Early Large Format
7OMM Premiere in Chronological Order

7OMM FILM & CINEMA

Australia | Brazil
Canada | Denmark
England | France
Germany | Iran
Mexico | Norway
Sweden | Turkey
USA

LIBRARY
7OMM Projectors
People | Eulogy
65mm/70mm Workshop
The 7OMM Newsletter
Back issue | PDF
Academy of the WSW

7OMM NEWS
• 2026 | 2025 | 2024
2023 | 2022 | 2021
2020 | 2019 | 2018
2017 | 2016 | 2015
2014 | 2013 | 2012
2011 | 2010 | 2009
2008 | 2007 | 2006
2005 | 2004 | 2003
2002 | 2001 | 2000
1999 | 1998 | 1997
1996 | 1995 | 1994
 

in70mm.com Mission:
• To record the history of the large format movies and the 70mm cinemas as remembered by the people who worked with the films. Both during making and during running the films in projection rooms and as the audience, looking at the curved screen.
in70mm.com, a unique internet based magazine, with articles about 70mm cinemas, 70mm people, 70mm films, 70mm sound, 70mm film credits, 70mm history and 70mm technology. Readers and fans of 70mm are always welcome to contribute.

Disclaimer | Updates
Support us
Testimonials
Table of Content
 

 
 
Extracts and longer parts of in70mm.com may be reprinted with the written permission from the editor.
Copyright © 1800 - 2070. All rights reserved.

Visit biografmuseet.dk about Danish cinemas

 

In harmony with the new City
The Drake, Plymouth, England.
Kinematograph Weekly, 12. June 1958

Read more at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
Written by: Architect: LEONARD ALLEN, FIAADate: 01.03.2011
Exterior of the Drake at night, showing the very attractive lighting of the Golden Hind sign

PLYMOUTH'S new cinema, the Drake, erected for Twentieth Century-Fox, occupies a prominent position in the rebuilt City centre at the corner of Union Street and Derry's Cross.


Chosen to harmonise with the surrounding buildings, Portland Stone has been employed for facing the facades to the two street frontages.

The entrance is placed at the intersection of the two frontages, and has been splayed off to form a bold corner entrance surmounted by a deep canopy with a total length of 100 feet and a fascia depth of five feet arranged as an interchangeable letter sign for publicity display.

Above the canopy this elevation is faced in Mineralite in a pleasing blue shade divided into a bold squared design with white bands of the same material. This is surrounded by a Portland Stone frame, the vertical members of which carry the theatre name signs.

In the centre a deep recess contains a realistic half-scale model of Drake's Golden Hind conforming in all details with authentic information available of this famous ship.
 
More in 70mm reading:

The Drake, Plymouth, England

The Versatile Projectors, Screen and Sound

The Technical Side. We Aimed at Perfection

Demonstration of Our Faith in the Future

The Saga of Todd-AO

DP70 / Universal 70-35 / Norelco AAII - The Todd-AO Projector


Internet link:

 
The screen at the Drake is one of the largest ever installed in this country. It is unusual in that the curvature can be varied to a wide degree

Enamelled plaques and brightly coloured balustrades give further colour relief to the stone-faced elevations.

The remaining elevations are faced in two shades of local facing bricks relieved at intervals with a small pattern design of projecting bricks.

A spacious open vestibule is floored in random marble paving and decorated with lilac-coloured glass mosaic to the walls. It contains the box-office, and a small confectionery kiosk leads to a double-screen of armour-plate glass entrance doors leading to the main foyer.

 
 
The auditorium, showing the adequate space between rows

This is panelled with Sapele mahogany and decorated with a dark blue ceiling divided into panels with white bands with a frieze in yellow and lilac. The floor is finished in linoleum tiles in shades of yellow and grey.


This main foyer accommodates on the left the wide staircase leading to the circle. The stalls foyer and entrances are placed on the right.

The centre of the space is devoted to an attractive and spacious sales counter canopied with a brightly illuminated decorative grille. The four columns standing at the corner of this counter are painted in brilliant red.

The carpeted staircase is provided with a balustrade composed of vitreous enamelled panels in alternating shades of grey and yellow and capped with a black, plastic handrail.

 
 
The spacious circle foyer.

This staircase divides to left and right and leads to the circle foyer, which is decorated in a similar manner to the main foyer with mahogany panelled walls, painted ceilings and frieze, and is carpeted with a specially designed carpet embodying the 20th Century-Fox motif.

The entrance doors to the circle are flanked with floral display fittings. A public telephone kiosk is provided in a secluded recess.

The auditorium is decorated in tones of red, pink and pale blue.

The main ceiling surface is painted ocean blue and is brilliantly illuminated by large, suspended, plaster lighting troughs, the undersides of which are painted in deep regal red.

The upper walls are lined with acoustic tiles fixed between vertical fibrous plaster ribs and arranged at an angle to the main wall in a saw-tooth formation.
 
 
Close-up of the specially designed panelling on the side-walls

A pile carpet wall lining to match the seat coverings has been employed in place of the more usual wood panelling to form a dado to the side gangways at stalls level. The gangways and seatways are covered in a similar carpet to the circle foyer.

The ante-proscenium walls are decorated in Siamese pink and the remainder in tones of blue rose and briar pink.

Special attention has been given in designing the theatre to arrange the inclination of the stalls floors and the steppings in the circle to provide perfect sight lines to the screen from the patrons' seats and secure a minimum angle of projection to avoid distortion.

The conventional proscenium has been eliminated and the side walls of the auditorium sweep in a bold curve to merge into the screen upon which a picture 60 feet in width can be shown.
 
 
The covered queueing area

The plenum ventilating equipment is of a high standard and is able to deliver filtered conditioned air in ample quantities to all parts of the theatre.


The projection room is of generous proportions and contains the most up-to-date form of projection and sound equipment.

A special amenity feature is the commodious waiting hall provided for patrons awaiting admission. This is comfortably furnished and decorated, well-lighted, heated and ventilated.

It contains a separate sales kiosk for the use of waiting patrons and has direct access from the street to the auditorium. A number of attractive showcases have been introduced as a decorative feature and for the display of interesting items. It is expected that these will be used by local trades people.
 
 
The circle, showing the shallow rake.

Attractively designed cloakrooms and powder rooms and adequate toilet accommodation are provided to both the stalls and circle levels.


A large public car park is available for those arriving by car and a special entrance has been provided therefrom to avoid patrons having to walk more than a few yards from the park.

External illumination is provided by means of white fluorescent tubing to the name signs and the outline of the splayed corner.

Floodlights provide brilliant illumination to the Golden Hind motif. The canopy is internally illuminated in yellow cold cathode tubes and the underside extending as far as the armour-plate glass doors is furnished with 150 watt mirrored back lamps at three feet centres.
 
Click image to see enlargement  
Click image to see enlargement 
  
Go: back - top - back issues - news index
Updated 21-01-24