A short guide to watching film in Cambridge

When it comes to film, Cambridge is remarkably well catered for, narrowly avoiding the hegemony of the multiplexes and chain DVD rental stores that most places are held ransom by with a few great exceptions. Which is in part amusing given that the phrase 'Hobson's Choice' (e.g. the concept of apparent choice when there is in fact little or none - as one finds in the average programming of a multiplex) allegedly originated from Cambridge. It's in doubt due to the large student population and all the supporting industry and infrastructure but on top of this the town also hosts the Cambridge Film Festival one of the UK’s best film festivals.

Yet in this dawning age of download on demand how long this lasts remains to be seen and already subscription based DVD rental schemes like I Love Film are hitting both traditional cinema and rental hard. So this may be a usable guide to watching film in Cambridge, or an epitaph for a pre-networked age; in much the same way as all the older cinemas slowly wilted in competition with television in the post war years.

Cinema
The best place to watch a film is on the big screen with other people. When they talk it's hell but when they react to the film it can be glorious, transforming the mundane act of watching a film into a unique experience. Years ago before video and DVD, film critics would often remember watching a special film in terms of the experience as much as the film itself – the venue, who was there and so on – and this situation still persists with hard to watch films at film festivals. There’s also the small matter of the picture and sound quality being far better and bigger than anything most people can manage at home even with HD televisions.

The Cambridge Arts Picturehouse
www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/Cambridge/local.htm
Know thy devil. Don’t be deceived, the Arts Picturehouse is the spiritual home of cinema in Cambridge and the best place in town to watch film. However the venue is in part a multiplex as fake and modern as any number of chain cinemas. Squashed up above the town’s biggest pub, The Regal (itself a former cinema), the venue has three screens and a café-bar. Hosting a varied and interesting programme with lots of repertory choices and one-off specials makes the Arts Picturehouse the place to watch film.

If that were not enough they put on screenings with film makers actually in attendance allowing audiences to interact with directors and actors. It is also the home of the annual Cambridge Film Festival. Other perks include the membership scheme giving members reduced ticket prices and access to special screenings.

Regrettably it’s bound to the art-house chain City Screen which can sometimes come across like a multiplex for snobs. Like any cinema chain a key part of the business model is all about raising the amount each customer spends through peripheral sales – in this case frothy coffee instead of overpriced popcorn. This is a minuscule price to pay for the riches on offer but remember it’s still a multiplex despite the challenging programming. Enjoy your Mochachino.

Cineworld
www.cineworld.co.uk
Situated away from the centre of town, the Cineworld is the better of the two general multiplexes by virtue of Cineworld’s policy of actually trying to show slightly different films on occasion at their film club screenings. They also do a great Unlimited Film offer that gives subscribers free access to any film for less than the price of two tickets per month.

The main negative here is the complete lack of foresight the planners had when it came to parking. Sure there’s a pricey car park nearby but why pay when you can cause chaos on the nearby streets…

Vue
www.myvue.com
Although more central by virtue of its shopping mall location in the Grafton Centre than its main competitor Cineworld, the Cambridge Vue multiplex is the dispiriting face of modern cinema-going – i.e. dismal US studio films badly packaged in cheaply built sheds with customer service that resembles that of people who work in abattoirs. The food is expensive and fellow cinema goers often prefer talking through the film rather than actually watching it. Still you can always nip out and grab a Whopper burger if it all gets too much.

Rental
Most people watch films at home making rental king. All is not well however as subscription firms like I Love Film and car boot sales selling cheapo knock-offs continue to rock the market ahead of mainstream download on demand. Blockbuster et al is doomed but will there be space for the independents?

The Video Emporium
www.videoemporium.co.uk
Mr Stacey’s Most Excellent Video Emporium earns its place as the best place to rent a film in Cambridge by the fact that they actually keep a copy of Halliwell's Film, Video and DVD Guide and the Time Out Film Guide behind the counter. This may not seem like much but few of the chain rental stores care less about what you’re renting than whether you are bulking out that sale with popcorn and sweets. In short they like film, making the joint the place to visit.

It’s all very trendy choices in faux men’s club style with budget panelling and padded sections of walls. But compared to Blockbusters or Choices you are basically in heaven. During the last Cambridge Film Festival they varied their stock to fit the festival programming. Impressive. In a pique of sociability they even have a forum on the website and currently proffer free champagne on Saturday evenings!

Cambridge Central Library
www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/
At the time of writing the City Central Library has just shut for eighteen months to make way for the Grand Arcade shopping centre but stock should be distributed amongst the town’s pitifully small satellite libraries. This is a tragedy given the library service’s public remit and partial immunity to commercial pressures. At precisely the time traditional high street rental outfits are struggling the library is going to be shut for a year and a half.

People always seem to find libraries stiflingly boring or more bizarrely and frightening, sexy! What they don’t seem to find though is the massive range of DVDs and Videos including a prominent minority of television programmes you aren’t going to rent elsewhere. And all at about half the price of the other stores with much longer rental periods. The alternative and arthouse sections are particularly impressive as are the range of television series. Watch this space.

Heffers
www.heffers.com
Heffers used to be the best place to rent DVDs and Video in town. Alas, no longer. Formerly situated on St Andrew's Street, then relocated to the bowels of the Trinity Street branch of Cambridge’s signature bookshop, there used to be a stupendous selection of world and art-house films begging to be rented and purchased in those pre-broadband salad days.

Then in some bizarre self-referential caffeine-bookshop hybrid implantation exercise a coffee shop appeared right next to the Film section and slowly spread its mocha stained tentacles annexing the area in some petty anchulus. It was as though some vandals had stolen a coffee shop and hidden it here for safekeeping. Inevitably the films suffered eventually being relegated to a mezzanine level with considerably less space.

Blockbusters Video
www.blockbuster.co.uk
If you didn’t know better you might think that ‘Big Blue’ owns the Cambridge DVD rental market. Coverage is almost overwhelming with four stores in Cambridge carving up the town like the Allies divided post war Berlin. And yes you can rent the Third Man at Blockbusters. And yes that film is set in Vienna.

People often forget that Blockbusters is all about the bottom line so renting the latest blockbuster film is always possible whilst marching in expecting to find some random Marcel Ophüls documentary is naïve. Meanwhile as the Rental market continues to decline Blockbusters is currently concentrating on the Entertainment part of its title maxing out on video game consoles and games.

The best branch in Cambridge is the Milton Road one where despite being the second smallest one in town the staff actually know things about film and are fairly approachable. Ask them a question, go on.

Choices
www.choicesuk.com
Yep it’s the Wimpy to Blockbusters MacDonalds. Blockbusters by a British company, Choices are actually quite good in comparison with an ever so slightly broader range of titles.

This guide doesn't pretend to be authoritative, it notably hasn't tried to include any of the options available at any of the Cambridge Colleges or Anglia Ruskin University for example. If readers have their own take on anything above please write in.