Wellington New Zealand is a lovely city, windy, but lovely. It is also the home of Peter Jackson and just about everything to do with his production companies. Stone Street studios,Park Road Production facility, Weta Digital and Workshops, etc , etc.
To walk around the suburb of Mirramar and casually stroll passed these places is a wonderful experience.
You of course can't visit any of these places with the exception of a peek through the front gates of the studio and of course the wonderful Weta Cave, a must for all Jackson and Lord of the Rings Fans. One treasure that often gets overlooked and possibly ignored is the
Roxy Cinema situated between the Weta Cave and Stone Street in a small group of local shops.
The Roxy was originally the Capital theatre and was built in 1928, it operated until 1964 until is was converted to a shopping mall and then was left derelict for years until Lord of the Rings Editor Jamie Selkirk oversaw the restoratiom into an art deco masterpiece. With the full weight and support of the Weta Workshop behind him it has been transformed in a 1930 style cinema with the latest in movie going technology.
Selkirk says.
The team researched using books and the internet, and Selkirk bought many of the cinema’s art deco lights when browsing in antique shops overseas. He “searched high and low” for interesting lights to suit the period. Three lights in the café came from a 1930s diner in Chicago; the sidelights took four weeks to make in China. Other cinemas in the US (Los Angeles, New York, Santa Barbara) provided inspiration, as did cinemas in movies such as King Kong and Inglourious Basterds, which gave the dusky, pinky-brown colour for the café walls.
I was there in early 2012 and enjoyed a lovely cuppa and was left to wander around unmolested by the happy staff and explore the upper floor and the majestic Grand Lounge
 |
The Roxy Before...
|
