‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’

The new documentary ‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’ is now available as a limited edition DVD.

‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’ explores the legendary director’s mysterious early days and uncovers many lesser known facts about his formative years.

Retracing Hitchcock’s footsteps around Leytonstone, Limehouse, Stratford and Hackney, the film reveals how his early London life profoundly influenced his later work. The documentary also examines Hitchcock’s associations with the long forgotten Walthamstow film industry and tells the previously untold story of his support for a local cinema during the height of his Hollywood fame.

The film identifies the key sites from the director’s youth which still exist today and features contributions from Roy Ward Baker (assistant director, ‘The Lady Vanishes’), Charles Barr (author of the seminal ‘English Hitchcock’), veteran actor Murray Melvin and numerous others. It paints a portrait of Hitchcock and his roots which is radically different to previous biographies and documentaries.

“a fascinating insight” – Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

DVD Special Features: 40-minute Alfred Hitchcock audio interview, ‘Working with Hitch – The Memories of Roy Ward Baker’ featurette, ‘The Lost Cinemas of Limehouse and Leytonstone’ featurette, ‘Zeppelins over London’ featurette, ‘Hitchcock’s Leytonstone Today’ stills featurette, ‘BBC Big Screen – The EMD Cinema’ featurette, ‘The Story of Aventure Malgache’ stills featurette.

Scroll down to read the latest reviews of ‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’.

To order the DVD send a cheque or postal order for £10 payable to ‘McGuffin’ to: The McGuffin Film Society, 458 Hoe Street, London E17 9AH.

To purchase a copy via PayPal see the link below. 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=220446147277&Category=2288&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1

Latest Reviews

http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/hertfordshiremercury-leisure/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=430002 

http://www.wharf.co.uk/2009/06/film-reveals-hitchcocks-east-e.html

McGuffins Open Air Cinema 2009

The seventh annual McGuffins Open Air Cinema will be held in Walthamstow on Saturday 11 July.

This year’s film is the classic rock ‘n’ roll comedy ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’, starring Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell and Edmond O’Brien with sizzling performances by Little Richard, Fats Domino, Julie London, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent.

“the quintessential ’50s rock film” – Time Out.

“a watershed moment in rock and roll history” – Rolling Stone

Jayne Mansfield stars in this colourful and lively Hollywood satire which tells the hilarious story of a luckless gangster’s quest to transform his beautiful (but tone-deaf) girlfriend into an international singing sensation!

The film will be shown on a giant screen to be erected in the town centre. Bring blankets, picnics, refreshments and friends for a relaxed summer evening of movie magic under the stars of Walthamstow! The event will also feature a live performance by Canadian rocker Son of Dave.

The McGuffins Open Air Cinema 2009 will be held from 8pm on Saturday 11 July at Walthamstow Town Square and Gardens (directly opposite Walthamstow Central underground/BR station). Admission is free.  For details about other events taking place as part of the Walthamstow Festival visit http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/whats-on/walthamstow-festival.htm

  

McGuffins Film & TV Quiz Night

The popular McGuffins Film and TV Quiz Night will return on Saturday 4 July to the Rose & Crown pub, 55 Hoe Street, London E17.

Come and test your knowledge of the film and TV greats to win a selection of prizes including cinema tickets, books, DVDs and movie memorabilia. £50 cash first prize with further cash prizes for second and third places. All welcome. Admission £1. For full details visit the ‘Quiz Nights’ page on the main website via the link at top right.

“possibly the biggest quiz in London” – TIME OUT

Show Your Support – Wear the T-Shirt!

Show your support for the EMD Cinema campaign by wearing this new T-shirt.

It is available in sizes Small, Medium, Large and X-Large and made from 100% cotton (pre-shrunk). T-shirts are £5 and can be ordered by sending a cheque or postal order payable to ‘McGuffin’ to: The McGuffin Film Society, 458 Hoe Street, London E17 9AH. 

Show Your Support – Download a Poster!

Show your support for saving the EMD Cinema – download the poster below then print and display in your window, car or workplace.

SaveWalthamstow’sCinema-poster

Jagger Backs EMD Cinema Campaign

ROLLING STONES legend Mick Jagger is backing the McGuffin campaign to save Waltham Forest’s EMD Cinema.

In a statement he said “Cinemas and live venues like The Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the lifeblood of our cultural history.

They helped launched British popular music onto a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment.

It’s heartbreaking to hear such a beautiful, important historical building and centre of entertainment is being lost to the local community.

I fully support the campaign to keep it open and provide film, music and the arts for generations to come.”

Mick Jagger joins actors Tony Robinson and Meera Syal, veteran politician Tony Benn and Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter Patricia in supporting the EMD campaign. An Evening Standard news report can be found below. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23704737-details/Mick+Jagger+fights+to+save+cinema+where+Stones+played/article.do

Council and UCKG Plan Conversion of EMD Cinema into Church – UPDATED

Protest outside the EMD Cinema on 18 April 2009.

Forest Council and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) have unveiled plans for a new scheme to convert the historic EMD Cinema into a church.

The proposals would see the vast majority of the venue used exclusively as a church while some leftover space in the former Upstairs Circle area of Cinema 1 could be adapted to create a small venue which UCKG claims would eventually be available for community hire at commercial rates. The adjoining carpet shop and Victoria pub would also be closed and converted into UCKG ‘training rooms’ and ‘youth centre’. A planning application is now expected imminently.

Leyton councillor Terry Wheeler is leading the council’s negotiations with UCKG. Meanwhile, UCKG is working with PR company the Remarkable Group to help deliver their plan. The Remarkable Group is well known for its associations with big business interests such as British Airways, GlaxoSmithKline, BMW and Bovis Homes.

These proposals are a variation of a previous UCKG ‘compromise’ plan which was first presented to the council in the aftermath of the successful Public Inquiry that originally saved the EMD from being converted into a church.  The proposals were dismissed by the then council. Waltham Forest Council is now actively supporting these revised plans despite warnings from the McGuffin Film Society that this approach has already failed spectacularly elsewhere.
In 2004, UCKG purchased the former ABC Cinema in Catford with the intention of converting it into a church.  Despite massive local opposition, Lewisham Council eventually granted planning permission for a similar ‘compromise’ solution during 2005 after UCKG gave assurances that a portion of the building would be used as a ‘community cinema’.  An independent cinema operator was engaged to run this ‘community cinema’ at the site while UCKG developed the remaining portion of the building for church use.

The independent cinema operator has since told the McGuffin Film Society that UCKG “became extremely uncooperative as soon as their planning permission was approved” and the cinema plan was eventually scrapped when the operator walked away “in disgust”.  The former ABC Cinema reopened as a fully fledged UCKG church in 2006 and no community cinema facilities were ever developed at the site, much to the annoyance of Lewisham Council and local residents.

While the McGuffin Film Society welcomes all genuine efforts to revive the EMD Cinema, we are deeply skeptical about this latest development – especially given the precedent set in Catford.  If approved, we are not convinced these current proposals will amount to anything more than Waltham Forest Council sleepwalking into a deal which hands over the EMD Cinema on a plate.

Around 600 local residents brought Walthamstow to a standstill on Saturday 18 April at a protest in support of saving the cinema.

Background
The EMD Cinema closed in 2003 when it was purchased by the controversial UCKG who intended to convert it for church use. Following a massive local campaign, the government held a Public Inquiry which ruled that the building remained commercially viable as a cinema and should not be converted into a church.

After persistent public pressure, UCKG eventually put the cinema up for sale in 2006 and a number of bidders emerged with substantial offers. However, the sale process was quickly thrown into chaos when news leaked about a council plan to fund a rival multiplex on the empty Arcade site next door. The EMD was immediately taken off the market. The council’s scheme for the Arcade site collapsed earlier this year and is now back on the drawing board with plans for a hotel and swimming pool currently under discussion (see below for more information about the Arcade scheme).

A representative from English Heritage recently visited the EMD and reported the cinema interior remains in “good condition”, despite the building’s shabby external appearance.

For details about the council’s negotiations with UCKG see this PDF document  which has been obtained under Freedom of Information rules.

Press Coverage

• The Independent ‘Hitchcock’s old gem’ (19/04/09)
• BBC News ‘Fight to save Hitchcock cinema’ (19/04/09)
• The Telegraph ‘Tony Robinson campaigns to save cinema…’ (20/04/09)
• The Standard ‘Stars join protest to save cinema’ (17/04/09) 
• The London Paper ‘Actors Tony Robinson and Meera Syal join campaign…’ (18/04/09)
• Waltham Forest Guardian ‘Hundreds campaign to save EMD’ (20/04/09)
• Yellow Advertiser ‘Cinema Protest’ (23/04/09).

Background Documents

• For a full summary of the EMD story so far see the PDF of a magazine article from 2008 here
• See the church’s plans for the cinema conversion on their website.
• The pre-planning application proposal document drawn up by UCKG in association with Waltham Forest Council can be found as a Word document here .
• For the Government’s original Public Inquiry conclusions about the EMD see this PDF document here.

International Press Coverage

• La Stampa ‘Salvate il cinema di Hitchcock’ (20/04/09)
• Loudvision ‘Salviamo il cinema di Hitchcock’ (20/04/09)
• BBC Brasil ‘Moradores protestam para salvar cinema comprado por Igreja Universal em Londres’ (19/04/09) 

For details about UCKG’s antics in Catford see the links below.

• UCKG’s Catford HelpCentre to open
• News Shopper Online ‘Mayor outraged at cinema plan’ (04/10/05)
• News Shopper ‘Church makes its second bid for ex-cinema’ (28/04/04)
• UCKG pres release ‘Rocking in the Aisles at Catford’ (14/08/07)
• News Shopper ‘Opening of Church in Catford’ (23/08/07)

Cinema Bidders Break Their Silence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Previous bidders who tried to buy the EMD Cinema have finally broken their silence.

The news follows a statement by Pastor Paul Hill of UCKG claiming it would not be possible to revive the venue as a cinema. Waltham Forest Council has also repeatedly stated that no serious bids were ever made to revive the EMD. The local authority has been working with UCKG on a planning application aimed at converting the cinema into a church with conference facilities for commercial hire.

As the McGuffin Film Society has always maintained, a number of substantial bids were made for the site when the cinema was put up for sale in 2005/6. However, all bids were rejected and the cinema was taken off the market when news leaked about council plans to fund a multiplex next door. Until now all the bidders have preferred to remain anonymous and declined to discuss their plans in the public arena. We have always respected these wishes but are pleased to now set the record straight.

Tyrone Walker-Hebborn is the businessman who created the hugely successful Genesis Cinema in Mile End. The venue was developed at the derelict former ABC Cinema which had stood empty for more than a decade. It is now one of London’s most popular independent cinemas.

Mr. Walker-Hebborn made his offer for the EMD in the hope of repeating that success in Walthamstow. His offer was rejected but he remains interested in acquiring the cinema if it becomes available again.

“It would be entirely possible to bring the cinema back to life,” he said. “We regenerated and reopened the Genesis after it had been closed and left derelict for 10 years and proved that a successful business can rise from the ashes of an old one. I see the Walthamstow cinema as a similar project and there is no apparent reason why it couldn’t work”.

Walthamstow businessman Guy Davies was another bidder for the cinema in 2006. Mr. Davies is a local entrepreneur who was responsible for the transformation of Hatherley Mews into the Hiltongrove Business Centre which is now a hub for the area’s creative industries. More recently he has helped revive the decaying former Leyton Town Hall as the Legacy E10 Business Centre.

“Through Hiltongrove I have made several bids for the cinema which have been rejected,” said Mr. Davies. “I have always believed and continue to maintain that the EMD can be revived as a viable cinema”.

Lyn Goleby, the managing director of City Screen which operates the successful Picturehouse Cinemas chain, has also issued a statement confirming their interest in the EMD.

“Our previous work has shown clearly that the redevelopment of historic cinema buildings such as the former EMD in Walthamstow can act as an organic catalyst for wider regeneration,” she said. “These projects attract other businesses to the area and really stimulate the night time economy”.

Lyn Goleby met Walthamstow councillor James O’Rourke last week to discuss previous plans drawn up to revive the EMD.

As the McGuffin Film Society has always argued, finding a suitable buyer for the EMD has never been an obstacle. The stumbling block has been the council’s indifference and UCKG’s reluctance to sell.

Related Links

• Picture House 
• Genesis Cinema 
• Hilton Grove

EMD Revival “is viable”

A statement by UCKG claiming the EMD is no longer viable as a film venue has been flatly refuted by the owner of Britain’s most successful independent cinema.

James Hannaway is the man who transformed the dilapidated Rex Cinema in Berkhamsted into what is widely recognised as the country’s most brilliant cinema resurrection of recent years.

“The stunning EMD could readily work in the same way,” said James Hannaway. “The special interest of the building could be protected as was the Rex. Local cultural and social interests would be reflected in the programming”.

James Hannaway believes a full revival of the EMD is an entirely viable proposition. In common with the EMD, the Rex in Berkhamsted is also a listed 1930s art deco cinema. It closed for a period of 16 years before its triumphant revival in 2004 and now caters for sell out audiences at least five nights a week. James Hannaway believes the EMD would be an ideal candidate for a similar revival.

“The Rex is the most successful independent cinema in the UK because it cares about where it is,” said James Hannaway. “Walthamstow is already a vibrant area. Already it has lost its world-famous dog track to developers and weak planning. Don’t let it lose the fabulous EMD cinema. It is only inches from being big, bright, beautiful and buzzing again”.

Walthamstow’s Liberal Democrat councillors have now declared their support for saving the historic EMD Cinema if an alternative buyer can be found.

Councillor’s James O’Rourke and Johar Khan said in a joint statement: “The UCKG recently stated they would consider moving if an offer was made. If there’s a viable option, similar to that of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the Hackney Empire, the UCKG could relocate to a similar building such as the one in Buxton Road. If there is a viable proposal we are willing to consider it. Our door is open”.

UCKG has also now claimed to have received little interest in their attempt to sell the cinema in 2006 – a claim which is somewhat at odds with their statements at the time. See below for a UCKG quote about the levels of interest in the cinema sale published in the ‘Waltham Forest Guardian’ during that period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

click image to enlarge

Children’s Demo

More than 100 local children demonstrated in support of saving the EMD Cinema on Saturday 13 June.

Many children joined the lively protest dressed as their favourite film, TV or cartoon character while others brought their own homemade placards and banners.

This is the first generation of local children since the 19th Century who have been denied the pleasure of a cinema in their town centre.

 A BBC news report about the kids demo can be found below http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8098857.stm