Page 9 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

The SS Normandie. Many enthusiasts still
rank her as the greatest of all ocean
liners.

wide for CinemaScope, although now
restricted to wide screen ratios
applicable to digital projection.
In keeping with the times, twin
35mm projectors were removed from
the cinema in 2007. Films are now
projected from a digital projector set
into the balcony balustrade. The bulky
Xenon lamp houses used with the
35mm equipment remain in the bio-box
amongst a plethora of digital video and
audio equipment. The Normandie’s theatre/cinema, reputedly the first on any ocean liner.
The most recent ships of the Cunard
line feature even more elaborate
theatres, principally for live
presentation. On the Queen Mary 2 the
Royal Court Theatre is a multi-level
auditorium seating some 1,015 people,
while on the Queen Victoria the Royal
Court Theatre seats 830 on three
levels. It is the first theatre at sea to
incorporate private boxes in the
tradition and decor of a Victorian era
RMS Queen Elizabeth
theatre.
Anticipating that the cruise ship
industry will continue to prosper, the
giants already in service and on the
drawing board include ‘al fresco’
cinemas and atmospheric theatres
modelled on the elaborate and classical
theatres of days gone by. ★

In 2008 the author sailed on the
QE2 on her last trip to Australia.

References
RMS Queen Elizabeth - The Beautiful
Lady, Janette McCutcheon 2001
A Picture History Of The Normandie,
Frank O. Braynard 1987

The First Class cinema on the Queen Elizabeth, 1946

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