Ask people why they come to Curzon venues and you’ll get a varied response: atmosphere, comfort, location and, for those who like a drink, the bar. But there’s one constant above all others: the film programme. We’re incredibly lucky to have a loyal audience who trust us implicitly and come week in, week out to watch films. Curzon is known as a place to discover other worlds and cultures, or see a different perspective. It’s also a place where the drinks and conversation flow in equal measure, where cinema is a truly memorable experience for a broad range of people. Those curious about the world and hungry for everything life offers might not be film aficionados – they might not even know exactly what’s on at Curzon, but they do know what they’ll get. We believe there’s always something to take away with you, always a surprise, always a conversation point, and always a reason to come back.
Why are we fortunate enough to be trusted? One reason is that we’ve been doing what we do for a very long time. We’ve championed the new and been a home for film-makers from foreign lands with something to say. Unexpected sensations, sure-fire hits and the odd spectacular flop have all featured along the way. But perhaps it’s the same restless, questioning spirit that inspired Harold Wingate, our founder, to import unknown films during the post-war period that still drives the business today. As a company that buys, distributes and shows films, we’re different from other cinema chains.
However, cinema is changing, and so are audiences. We launched our ‘at home’ service in 2007 and all sorts of people were up in arms about it. Films at home on the same day as they’re released in the cinema? But that’s against everything cinema stands for, surely? Nonetheless, Curzon Home Cinema now reaches over three million homes and is growing fast.
The Curzon (as it was then known, long before other venues came along) opened in Mayfair in 1934. It was taken over by the Wingate family in 1940. In contrast to the picture palaces typical of that era, the Curzon had an almost austere interior, in keeping perhaps with the seriousness with which it approached film. During the war it was exceptionally busy – somewhere warm at a time of unheated homes and, like other entertainment venues, a place for London’s itinerant population of young men and women in uniform to meet for dates. The running of the cinema was very much a family affair, with Mrs Wingate – fluent in French and taking courses to improve her kitchen Italian – translating and subtitling the films imported by her husband.
Happily, film buying and distribution at Curzon is now a well-oiled machine, and we’ve picked up more than one or two awards for it. Most recently, The Great Beauty, which ran for eighteen weeks, received a BAFTA and an Oscar. At the same time we released Blue Is the Warmest Colour, which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. (In the last seven years, we’ve distributed five Palme d’Or winners.) When Artificial Eye became part of the Curzon stable in 2006 it felt like a perfect fit. Our film buying remains respectful to Artificial Eye’s incredible heritage – keeping powerful human stories and quality film-making at its heart – as we look to widen the company’s vision in distribution and exhibition.
As for exhibition, we’re welcoming new audiences – and bringing Curzon to communities currently underserved by high-quality cinema – as we open beautifully designed venues across the country. Live broadcasts of the world’s finest opera, ballet and theatre have changed what cinema means to many, reaching new audiences and opening up the arts to more people. Curzon Home Cinema also allows us to share our love for independent film with millions via its online platform and partnerships with the likes of Freesat, BT, Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV.
Curzon has had its fair share of notoriety over the years. In 1950, Max Ophüls’s La Ronde helped usher in the X certificate, but it didn’t stop people turning up to see it at the Curzon during its initial seventy-six-week run. Over half a million people eventually came to the cinema to see it. Luis Buñuel’s Belle de jour (1967) also sailed close to the wind. But it was Marco Ferreri’s La Grande Bouffe (1973), with its combination of gluttony and sex, that brought a private prosecution against the Curzon under the nineteenth-century Vagrancy Act (we were acquitted).
Curzon is a brand that has stood the test of time, albeit with the constant changes required to survive in an ever-evolving industry. However, what gets us out of bed in the morning remains the same. As filmgoers are presented with more and more choices, we do what we’ve always done: offer films that we believe are worth sharing, that spark conversation and stay with you long after the lights come up.
Lenny Abrahamson (photo: Peter Rowen)