By Eoin Higgins
26th Oct 2017
26th Oct 2017
“Stellaaaaaaa!” Marlon Brando’s infamous Stanley Kowalski holler in the classic screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire may soon ring out, but rather more encouragingly, along Dublin’s Rathmines Road as film fanatics queue up to get an eyeful of the much-loved and just-reopened Stella cinema.
The 1920s picture palace has been lovingly restored and spruced up as Dublin’s answer to London’s massively successful Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, sating a keen desire for a luxe cinema experience that doesn’t rely too heavily on the latest box-office bilge. And a rather gorgeous experience it is too – original Art Deco details and a debonair atmosphere pervade, from the gilt ceiling flourishes, marble and brass fittings, right down to the dapper staff get-ups.
There were a couple of niggles for this big-screen bug on opening night: it could have been warmer and the sound wasn’t quite mellifluous, but first night misdemeanours aside, the bum-loving red velvet seats with extensive leg room, full bar serving decent cocktails, fizzy things, posh nibbles and popcorn, as well as the obvious attention to detail should have cinephiles and their dates wide-eyed at, well, how cinematic it all feels.
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