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Bercy Cinema - Interior To Screen (Photo: CATHS-V Collection)

Perhaps the most striking feature of the new Bercy was that were released through the Greater Union circuit were
the exterior. Above the awning were 4 plain colunms that admirably catered for by the Chelsea ci11ema. Therefore,
rose to the top of the building which then finished with a the decision was made to equip the Bercy for 35mm only.
heavily ornate Renaissance style parapet. Between the col- Given the height of the auditorium, it would easily have
umns were fascia walls of green glazed mosaic tiles, which, accommodated a 70mm screen. Indeed, the masking actu-
in turn, were superimposed with huge copper medallions. ally dropped a considerable distance when screening 'scope
Tbe effect was most impressive. Unfortunately, during ratio. Using Kalee 21 projectors with Cinemeccanica
later conversion to the building's present use, the fascia Xenith-X lamp houses, it is widely recognised that the
walls were replaced by an unsympathetic treatment of alu- Bercy was the last city theatre to open with carbon arcs.
minium windows. The 2000 foot spools were to remain in situ until the thea-
tre's closure.
Internally, the auditorium was quite plain, while adhering
to the basic house-style of Greater Union at that time. Be- As mentioned earlier, the i1mer foyer, which was eventu-
ing long, narrow, and with a ve1y high ceiling, it had an ally dispensed with, was to have been stepped higher again
almost tunnel-like effect. The side walls were relieved only from the entrance foyer, which, upon entering the audito-
by 3 false balconies, down either side, utilising the same rium, would have provided more raking to the floor. Con-
mosaic tiJing as the exterior, and filled with drapes. These sequently this alteration meant the rake on the audito-
balconies seemed to have the effect of emphasising the rium floor was very shallow, resulting in quite alarming
height of the auditorium. Between these false balconies sight-lines, especially in the 1960's when "beehive" hair-
were sets of 3 vertical medallion light sconces. The other- styles were very much in vogue.
wise plain ceiling contained 3 rectangular domes with
concealed trough lighting. Gold velvet wrap- around cur- So just where did the name Bercy evolve from? To answer
tains provided the only contour amongst predominately this question, one must go back to the year 1960, when the
straight lines. old Majestic theatre closed for extensive renovations. This
was an era when the Manager of a theatre still had a con-
Although consideration was given to installing 70mm into siderable input into the running and operation if his/her
the Bercy, Columbia and Universal studios, who were the theatre. The then Manager of the Majestic, Bob Richards,
main supplier of films to Greater Union, produced very who was to remain on as the Manager after renovations
few films in this fom1al. The occasional 70mm attractions were completed, had recently visited the Chelsea Flower

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