Secret Cinema is a monthly cinematic or theatrical experience which lives by the motto “tell no-one”. The location and the chosen film remains a secret until the last possible minute – ticket holders are simply given a place and a time to meet and instructions on what to wear.
Armed with goggles, an umbrella and dressed in ‘futuristic 40’s’ attire, we gathered in the alien landscape which is Canary Wharf to be taken off on our Secret Cinema adventure. After being shouted out by various policemen and air stewardesses from ‘Utopia Airways’ (all actors, of course) we made our way up the giant escalators to form queues for the shuttle buses which would take us to the mysterious destination. Whilst on board we were suddenly informed that there had been a change of plan and that we had to be taken to an ‘off-world’ holding area. We were told to draw the curtains and put our goggles on and not to trust anyone whom we were about to meet. The buses then took us to an industrial park, with the glittering towers of Canary Wharf as its backdrop and we disembarked into a fantasy land.
Word soon got round that we were being taken to watch Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult classic ‘Blade Runner’, a dark science fiction film which was decades ahead of it’s time and is still referenced by today’s critics as one of the most significant films ever made in terms of cultural, historical and aesthetic reference.
Once inside a warehouse, it became clear that the Secret Cinema team had re-created China Town (Los Angeles 2019) from the film. Midgets, snakes, pole-dancers and future nun’s were dotted all over the place in amongst a mixture of stalls, some real and some fake (for instance, we managed to buy a beer at one and then the next door stall offered to grow us a fish of our choice for £10,000). Chrome Hoof, was also playing a gig. Outside, burned-out classic cars offered good seats to drink our beers in and we feasted on sushi, chorizo burgers and Turkish delight.
After about an hour we were all rounded up into another warehouse with dozens of rows of plastic chairs and a massive screen to watch the film. The crowd whooped with delight as the opening credits rolled and the penny finally dropped. Watching the film after being in the marketplace made it clear just how much attention to detail had gone into tonight’s event as every single event and prop of the evening so far could be referenced within the film. Towards the end of the film, during a scene where Harrison Ford’s Deckard and Rutger Hauer’s Replicant are fighting on a roof, the lights came up to reveal two actors rein acting the action on ropes on the wall, with the aid of some impressive projection technology.
The film ended with a round of applause and we were ushered back to Canary Wharf past two fire breathing girls who rounded off the night with suitable industrial drama.
Secret Cinema is a must-do for anyone living in the capital, just a word of warning – regular trips to the cinema will subsequently be ruined of life.
