COLOURFULWORLD

Wednesday 21 March 2018

A new experience - Outdoor movies

On Saturday 17th, I was invited to go to an outdoor movie session on the grounds of the University of Western Australia (UWA) in the suburb of Nedlands.
The Somerville, Perth's oldest outdoor cinema is located in a beautiful garden under the pine trees. There are rows and rows of deckchairs seating about 1000 people or you can sit or lie on bean bags on the fake grass under the huge screen and surrounding area.
This movie house plays a major role in the Perth International Arts Festival and shows other cult classics or arthouse movies.

For the cooler nights bring a blanket and bring a cushion to make the deckchair more comfortable. You are welcome to bring a picnic, but there is also have food and drinks for sale.

Movie season is from November to April, doors open at 6pm and you must be seated by 7,30 p.m. when the session starts. Each film screens for a week.


On the way to the Somerville
The entrance to the movie grounds, with people carrying their cooler boxes and blankets

The tall pine trees and ferns and fairy lights surrounding the area
Enjoying their picnics on the sidelines before the movie starts
   



The Icelandic "dramedy" (with English subtitles) we went to see was called "Under the Tree", and starts with Atli whose wife Agnes catches him watching a sex act between himself and a former girlfriend and throws him out the house.
He moves in with his parents Inga and Baldvin, who are in the middle of  a feud with their younger neighbours Konrad and Eybjorg regarding a tree in their garden that the neighbours complain is casting a large shadow in their garden.
Inga's bitterness (or mental illness) due to a recent tragedy (their oldest son is believed to have committed suicide) has no intention of doing their neighbours any favours and is always commenting on the appearance of Konrad's athletic younger second wife.
The tree feud continues, tires are slashed, garden gnomes broken and flower damaged, a cat goes missing and a dog soon follows.
Mild mannered Baldvin gets the son Atli to sleep in a tent on the lawn to keep watch which leads to an unexpected climax when even the two level headed older men lose it.  
Lots of laughs and surprises throughout ...


Seating for about 1000 people on the deckchairs and 200 on the grass area
Have you been to an outdoor cinema? Do you remember Drive-Ins?

I remember growing up in South Africa where the cheapest option for the whole family to go to the movies was to go to the Drive-in. We would drive in and test the speakers first to make sure it had a good sound. Then we would eat some snacks or sometimes go to the "tuck-shop" and buy a hamburger, chips or popcorn and enjoy the movie.

What great memories.

36 comments:

  1. A lovely setting for a movie!

    One of our parks hosts outdoor screenings in the summer. And the Governor General's property has a couple of movie nights on the grounds sometime late in the summer too.

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    1. That's nice William. I think I might go to these outdoor movies more often in Summer because I really enjoyed the atmosphere.

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  2. You were watching 'Under the Trees' under the trees Sami :) Love outdoor movies and this is such a nice setting. The weather has been perfect too for this kind of outdoor event.

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    1. Exactly Grace, lol. It was a cool evening on Saturday, but still beautiful to be outdoors.

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  3. Sounds like a lot of (weird) fun! But I wonder why in the cold months?
    We´ve been in Sun Pictures in Broome for every movie, it was awesome.
    And, yes, I remember with the first boyfriend who had a car we went to a couple of movies in Drive Ins - but soon they closed.
    We watched Seven King´s Pet Sematary, amongst others... huhhh.

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    1. A lot of fun Iris. Not in the cold months, it's in Summer till beginning of Autumn. That evening we went it was a bit cool, but most evenings have been quite warm still.

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  4. Imhave never seen an outdoor mivie in the opn air. Our nights are mostly rather cold when you have to sit still. We had a movie here last summer but I didn't go. Because of the cold.

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    1. Yes I guess if the nights are always cold then it's no fun to sit outdoors. Thanks Marianne.

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  5. I remember drive ins, but I don't think I've ever been to an outdoor movie like this. What a fabuous venue. What a wonderful way to spend a summer evening!

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    1. Thanks Jeanie, it was a beautiful outdoor setting.

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  6. Amiga, embora não tenha sido oficialmente legalizado, o dia 20 de março, desde 2004 que comemora-se como sendo o dia do Blogueiro ou da blogueira.
    Como gosto de comemorar dadas em especial aquelas que acho bem merecidas, hoje, vim aqui parabenizar você por ser essa profissional da blogsfera competente, criativa e que com muita responsabilidade mantem o seu blog.
    Parabéns por ser essa blogueira maravilhosa que nos encanta com suas postagens.
    Abraços da amiga Lourdes.

    Tem postagem e tem selinhos comemorativos nos meus blogs.

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  7. I've not been to an outdoor cinema, this looks so good in your photographs.

    All the best Jan

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  8. I'd like to try one of those one day

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  9. Uma nova versão de drive in movies.
    Agora mais ecológica.
    Sem o drive in.

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    1. Sim, realmente e isso mesmo, versao mais ecologica. Obrigada Pedro.

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  10. What a great idea. I would guess as the movie starts at 7:30, it must be a digital screen rather that a projected film as it would be too light in mid-summer. The set up looks brilliant. We have a number of them here along with roof top cinemas but I have never been. Drive-Ins, tick. Many times as a kid and even as a young adult. The last time, maybe I was 19, the speakers had gone and you clipped a wire to your car radio aerial. No more broken windows as happened when people drove off with the speaker still clipped on. Also did some 'boot stuffing' once, if you can work out what that was.

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    1. Thanks Andrew, oh yes, I remember some people would drive off with the speakers, lol. "Boot stuffing" hadn't heard of that expression.

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  11. I've been to lots of drive-ins, and a couple of outdoor concerts, but never an outdoor movie like you got to see. Really awesome venue.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth, I thought the venue was spectacular too.

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  12. Replies
    1. Obrigada Francisco. O outono ja comecou aqui.

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  13. Well that looks awesome fun - love all the smart deckchairs and of course the weather looked perfect!
    Wren x

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    1. The deckchairs were quite nice, I certainly didn't expect to see that many! Thanks Wren.

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  14. What a great idea! I remember drive-ins well!

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  15. Replies
    1. Thanks for your visit Ms Bingles. Just had a look at your blog, you're very talented.

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  16. What a nice outdoor theater! We have movies outdoors but nothing like this. Oursare usually shown in a park and you bring a blanket to sit on the lawn.
    Thanks for visiting my blog today.

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    1. Thanks for visiting back Cynthia. I suppose it's more comfortable to have a deck chair to sit on instead of sitting on the lawn.

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