Miracle on Vincent Street?

A campaign is under way to reopen the cinema in Daylesford, central Victoria.

Using as their byword Phoenix Cinema @The Rex, keen moviegoers came together to raise money and to find out what the community wants.

One fundraising event is the screening of the 1994 American classic `Miracle on 34th Street’ in Standridge Hall on Friday 5 December, with doors opening at 6pm.

A State Government grant   is being sought, other fund-raising events organised and a questionnaire asking people what they want from a cinema will be distributed at this weekend’s Daylesford Show.

Money-raising began with a Flicks and Feast evening, which is being followed by raffles, a Christmas event, patron packages, business sponsorship, merchandise sales, such as vintage movie posters, t-shirts and badges, and a dinner.

The Rex has a remarkable history of money-raising, as record at the Daylesford Museum. The cinema’s  founder, Aubrey Moulden Christie, began with weekly then twice weekly plus “weekly occasions” pictures at thetown’s old Drill Hall now the Daylesford Fire  Station. Next he bought an old hotel in Vincent St and began building the Rex, securing more than ten thousand pounds, a massive amount for the time, to build a “Spanish colonial theatrical” style cinema, one of only three of its type in the State.

More money was needed to strengthen the foundations and flooring after old mining works caused some cave-ins.

The Rex opened on Boxing Day 1929, showing an early version of “The Student Prince”, dubbed with synchronised sound before the modern integrated soundtrack, and before Mario Lanza..

One of the first small theatres beyond Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne to have CinemaScope in 1954, the Rex was badly hit by the local advent of TV in 1960-61.  After 34 years operation the Rex was shut by Aubrey Moulton Christie’s son Max in May 1963, only to start again on a small scale, being run by dedicated volunteers between 2012 and 2016.

For further information, comments or interviews please contact Jules McDonald, Daylesford Cinema Group President,  0400 455 993. This article was also published on the Wombat Post.