One of the wonderful things about my travels to see the film High-Rise is that it has given me the magnificent opportunity to visit many of the wonderful independent cinemas of Midgard. On Asgard our choice is limited, and large soulless chain cinemas fill their screens with the latest blockbusters, selling over priced popped corn and questionable meat products.
On my travels I have had the pleasure of visiting the home of film premières: the Leicester Square Odeon, enjoyed the huge screen (and the cakes) at the wonderful Central Picturehouse, had my first taste of visiting the BFI, witnessed the majesty of the Barbican, and saw the beauty of the Phoenix Cinema.
I was familiar with the Tyneside cinema, but had never had reason to visit before, so my heart sang with joy when I saw the beautiful 1930’s interior, and deep red curtains. This was likely to be my final visit to the High-Rise in a cinema, and I was delighted to end my journey in such a beautiful venue.
This was my eighth visit to see High-Rise, and even after so many viewings I was still excited as the opening titles appeared upon the screen.
I paid special attention to the music this time, knowing that just a few short hours later I would be seeing it performed live at the beautiful Gateshead Sage.
I have long been a fan of Clint Mansell’s film scores, ever since I saw Requiem For A Dream in my chambers on Asgard, but I had never seen him live until this night!
Mr Mansell and his band performed tracks from many of his film scores, and I am unashamed to admit that I cried like a baby abandoned in a temple on Jotunheim when he performed his wonderful score from Moon.
My personal highlight of the night of seeing the performance of the score of High-Rise. Mr Mansell spoke of how he met Mr Wheatley before it and I was incredibly moved by his words.
And then I heard the music… I saw the band as they created those magnificent notes that I had heard so many times upon the cinema screen, and I have no words to explain how wonderful the experience was.
The entire band was magnificent, but I must speak briefly about the string quartet. As a prince, I have witnessed many performances, but I have never seen anything as wonderful as the ladies of the strings.
From my position in the royal box I had a full view of the stage, and could see every movement upon it. The performance of the string quartet was simply incredible, especially during the performance of Requiem For A Dream. I applauded until my tiny plastic hands ached.
And all too soon the concert came to an end, and the crowd gave a well deserved standing ovation. I did too, but as I am only two inches tall no one could see me.
If you are interested in helping the Tyneside cinema, they are currently holding an appeal to raise funds to make the approach to the cinema more appealing. You can donate here.
