I LEFT MY HEART IN MELBOURNE #3
This was the day I discovered a new meaning of going to the cinema.
Built in the 1930s, and still maintaining its grand looks, Astor Cinema took my breath away from the first few seconds I entered the building. The red carpet, the curvy stairs leading to the foyer, and the old movie posters hung on the walls as we were queuing for our double-feature tickets.
Climb up the stairs to the main foyer and you will see a gigantic chandelier up above you, reminding you of those in grand ballrooms. In the next few steps you will be welcomed by the buttery smell of the classic salty popcorn coming from a small stall next to the theatre.
The huge theatre itself could accommodate more than 1,000 people. You can see the film rolls inside a small control room. Mock me as you wish because I held my breath in excitement when the red curtain slowly opens and reveals the giant screen. They really know how to put you in the right mood for movies!
That night, it was a double feature of Jesse Eisenberg’s Social Network and Angelina Jolie’s Salt. The theatre shows both classic old movies and new ones, too, to serve its older and younger customers.
I could not help but noticing they put ‘cloak’ instead of ‘restroom’ sign as we wander around during half-time break. Michelle let us try the lemon cake, which was huge and sweet and nice.
This time around, probably because there was no subtitle, the movies were less memorable compared to the grand theatre. I could picture people in olden days, wearing those body-hugging tweed dress in a muted heels and fancy purses, clinging to a gentleman-in-suit’s arm climbing the curvy stairs with red velvet carpet for ‘Ben Hur’ on a Saturday night..
Ah, how I love Astor..
The Astor Theatre
1 Chapel Street
St. Kilda VIC 3182
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