Renowned for screening quality cinema, Palace Cinemas are an all-Australian family-owned business. They have a great reputation for high-quality programming, showing the best in local and international cinema.
Re-opening on Sunday June 7 2015, The Astor Theatre, now a part of the Palace family, is set to flourish again. This is the last single screen cinema in Melbourne, which has been open since its grand opening in 1936. Its calendar of classic and cult films has just been released, sure to tantalize the taste buds of many a cinephile. Victorian folk, ensure you are prepared to have this calendar packed full of three months of film delivered straight to your mailbox (snail mail, that is. Old school and classic).
Wednesday nights will show off double features, kicking off with Get Carter and Point Blank on June 10, The Goonies and Beetlejuice on June 17, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Repo Man on June 24. “Wicked Wednesday” as it is aptly referred, is at the bargain basement price of $11 a ticket.
If that hasn’t already wet the popcorn pallet, Poltergeist, Aliens, Baraka and Hamlet have returned for 70mm screenings, and Scorsese’s classic Mean Streets will be screened in a very rare 35mm print.
To ring in a new age for The Astor, a special opening night gala event on Thursday June 25 will feature Gillian Armstrong’s new documentary, Women He’s Undressed. A Melbourne local herself, Armstrong will be in attendance to introduce the film, inspired by costume designer Orry-Kelly’s career.
His costuming is an iconic part of other classics screening at The Astor including Maltese Falcon, Arsenic and Old Lace, Casablanca and Some Like it Hot. The documentary draws attention to his largely unknown career which involved dressing the stars of Hollywood – Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, and Marilyn Monroe, in cinema’s golden age.
The Astor Theatre is as much a part of Melbourne’s history as it is about embracing the history of local and international cinema. Tickets are now on sale for the new season – be a part of cinema history!
The Astor Theatre
Corner of Chapel St & Dandenong Rd, St Kilda
Phone: (03) 9510-1414
Email: [email protected]
Visit the official Astor Theatre website and click here for the calendar.
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