Dendy George

On November 27 2008, the Dendy George Street closed its doors for the last time. The last films it screened included The Wackness, Waltz with Bashir & Son of a Lion. During the cinema's final weeks, many came along to say their farewell, with a huge turnout for both the Halloween double feature and closing party. Kasia & I first met at the Dendy, and so it seems appropriate to start off our blog with a look back at what the Dendy was for us. What follows are a few stories and features of Dendy George that you may not have known about.

I've worked in most of the cinemas in Brisbane city, at least the ones that are still standing. I began working in cinemas out of a love of film, and the perk of free films certainly didn't hurt. After spending over a decade in the industry with mixed experiences and encounters with all kinds of people, I can honestly say that the Dendy on George Street was my favourite of the lot.

The staff that worked for Dendy were the most relaxed and knowledgeable about film. It was not uncommon for customers to come in and talk shop with staff, comparing favourite directors, actors and the like. Many of the staff were writers, musicians and filmmakers who used the cinema as a setting for their short films. There were great basements that were dank and dirty with lots of shadows and the cinemas were suitably ornate and not without charm.

As for the customers, the majority of people that came to see alternative cinema in Brisbane were not open-minded youth searching for enlightenment. The vast majority of patrons that frequented some of the more unusual films to come to Brisbane were over 60. Each Thursday (pension day), the seniors of Brisbane would be lined up bright and chirpy, eager to get their coffee and biscuit, before settling in for two hours of subtitled film.

Some of the other patrons that came to the Dendy provided free entertainment. On occasion, it was not uncommon to look at the monitor that was linked to a camera in the cinema and see a couple or small group of people dancing (usually in a conga line) on the stage in front of the screen, either before the film or during the credits.
Homeless people would also save their money and come to see a film at Dendy. One man in particular arrived with his swag, which he unrolled and laid across the seats in front of him so that he could put his feet up without dirtying them. That man was much more considerate than a lot of people that put their feet up and the Dendy was probably one of the few, if not the only place he could do that.

Probably the most distinct feature of Dendy George Street, one that I haven't seen replicated in any other cinema, was its movie cups. The cups were a kind of visual history of the films that had been shown since the Dendy opened.

Staff would cut up the fliers for each film and glue, stickytape, fold and wrap them around a cardboard drink cup. I personally made three cups over the two and a half years I was there, and there was always a kind of healthy competition to make the next cup better than the last, more innovative. Some had sections cut out of the cup, others had 3D constructions, there was repetitive layering, quotes from the film, some didn't even feature the film's name. The only unspoken rule was that it had to be made of flyers and whatever adhesive materials were available behind the candy bar.

Brisbane City Council Library even featured a small exhibition of a select number of these cups, displayed amongst their shelves.

Alongside the cups, the Dendy's window displays were fabulous. A lot of time and effort went into creating cut-outs, letters and quotes to decorate the windows. Sadly, a lot of these were not documented, however this photo is the remnants of the window for Strummer, the great music documentary about Joe Strummer of The Clash.














The bunny mask was put over Caesar's head during the screening of David Lynch's Inland Empire.

Behind the doors marked 'Staff Only' were some bizarre sights, including the cloud room. Where the inspiration came from for this room, I'm not entirely sure, but it was essentially a storeroom. At some point in time, the room had been painted blue, with floating white clouds. Hence its title. Sorry the photograph isn't fantastic, but you get the idea.

Someone had taken the time to stick white cotton balls in clumps to the ceiling to further enhance the illusion of clouds. In the centre of the room, hanging down from the ceiling, was a flexible, corrugated silver tube that had a small dog in a space suit suspended in the centre of it. It really added to the ethereal quality of the Dendy, at least behind the scenes, particularly in the projection booths.

To celebrate the film Being John Malkovich promotional masks were handed out, like the ones in the picture. Somehow, one managed to find its way onto one of the decorative balconies in cinema 2. For the observant eye, John Malkovich could be seen looking down from between two ornate railings. The effect was a little creepy.

I think this next picture really sums up the feel of Dendy George. The building was very old and it was always said that the place was held together with blue tac and sticky tape. If something couldn't be fixed with those materials, it wasn't worth fixing.

Thankfully, Dendy George is survived by its bigger cousin at Portside, however it was very sad to see another of the small alternative cinemas disappear. The Village Twin has long since gone, but the Schonell has reopened after its hiatus. The Globe should also be mentioned, which continues to show great double features of classic, alternative and cult films, while also existing as a fantastic live music venue, not unlike the Troubadour in character.

Oh and did I mention that the staff hand made all of the choc tops?

Some of our favourite films that screened at Dendy while Kasia & I worked there:

Badasssss: Mario Van Peebles film about his father making the seminal film Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song. Sweetback was the first film to feature black characters triumphing over 'The Man' and spawned the Blaxploitation genre. (More to come on this film in future posts)



Undead: A fantastic Australian invasion/zombie film made by someone who actually used to work at the Dendy.



2046: This film is almost meditative in its tone. Hong Kong Director, Wong Kar Wai sweeps you into a journey through time, through a man's unrequited love and tells it all through his highly stylised and unique mode. The story is fragmented, moving in and out of reality and into the fantasy world of the future. However, the film flows along easily, sustained by the poignant soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography.

Hidden: A bizarre French film by Michael Haneke about a couple who find a videotape on their doorstep. Upon watching it, they discover that they have been under surveillance. They start to receive more tapes, each one more and more intimate. Although somewhat mystifying after a first viewing, subsequent reviews reveal that Haneke is exploring and commenting on more than it first appears.

Pan's Labyrinth: A dark fable for adults, Guillermo Del Toro's imaginative story goes places that other films like this don't. Ofelia has travelled many miles to meet her new father, Captain Vidal, who she finds less than appealing. To occupy her time she sets about exploring the grounds, including an old labyrinth. Utterly engaging and thrilling, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Volver: Pedro Almodovar brings a certain class and style to what might at first appear to be melodrama. This film is about the relationship between mothers, daughters and sisters, told with humour and sensitivity. It's about two daughters who think they're being haunted by their dead mother and the secrets they keep from each other.

Rampage: After making his film Soundtrack to War, filmmaker George Gittoes travelled to Miami to meet the residents of 'Brown-sub'. Inspired by the talent of one of the soldiers, who claimed he was safer in Iraq than he was at home, Gittoes felt compelled to investigate this claim. A documentary that shows life as it really is in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, while simultaneously showing the talent that can bloom there.