The David Lean Cinema in Croydon Clocktower will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next Monday with a suitably classic film screening and some special guests.

Croydon’s much-loved independent cinema will be marking the occasion with a classic David Lean film. Tickets are now available for the Oscar-winning director’s 1945 adaptation of Noel Coward’s supernatural comedy Blithe Spirit, starring Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings (7.30pm on March 3).

In the audience will be Sally Beard, a trustee of The David Lean Foundation, plus a couple of hangers-on from the council, and everyone will be invited to enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly to toast the celebrations.

Friday, March 3, 1995, was a significant day for Croydon. The David Lean Cinema opened its doors for the first time for screenings of Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. The Museum of Croydon (then called “Lifetimes”) opened with a spectacular Picasso exhibition.

“Now, 30 years to the day, you’re invited to join in the celebrations of one of Croydon’s cultural institutions,” the volunteer-run David Lean Cinema people say.

Sam Clark, chair of the cinema’s committee, said: “Last March, we marked 10 years since reopening the David Lean as a community cinema. This occasion enables us to pay tribute to all who in the 1990s shared a vision to make Croydon Clocktower a vibrant arts centre.”

Blithe Spirit is a Technicolor masterpiece, and one of Lean’s four collaborations with Noel Coward. It won the Best Special Effects Oscar at the 1947 Academy Awards.

It’s a film loved by generations, and is significant as Lean’s final picture before being catapulted to stratospheric success with Brief Encounter.

• Book your ticket: https://www.davidleancinema.org.uk/event/blithe-spirit/

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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