Saturday night movies at the Beech Forest Hall were an important social and cultural event for the Otway region. They were considered a wonderful form of entertainment, particularly enjoyed by children and by families travelling into town. Before the movie commenced, the National Anthem would have been played, with everyone standing. Refreshments such as Dixie Cup ice creams, eaten with a small wooden spoon, would have been enjoyed, and, as in many cinemas of the time, Jaffas would surely have rolled down the aisle. The seats were probably a little uncomfortable after a while, the sound was sometimes questionable, and film breakages—quickly mended by the projectionist—could interrupt the screening at any time. Yet these minor inconveniences only added to the fun and never diminished the excitement of the evening.
History of Beech Forest cinema
It was in the second Beech Forest Hall, built in 1906, that lantern slide evenings were first held in the region. The National Gallery of Australia describes lantern slides as "a positive transparent photograph made on glass and viewed with the aid of a 'magic lantern,' the predecessor of the slide projector. Lantern slide plates were commercially manufactured by sensitizing a sheet of glass with a silver gelatin emulsion. The plate was then exposed to a negative and processed, resulting in a positive transparent image with exceptional detail and a rich tonal range."
In 1918, a leap into modern motion pictures was made when cinema equipment was installed. However, this was short-lived, as it was all destroyed in the devastating 1919 bushfires that ravaged the area.
In 1921, a new hall was built by the Shire. It was here that, by 1923, going to the cinema became a regular and much-loved form of entertainment for the people of Beech Forest and the surrounding district.
The construction of the new hall included a projectionist's room, known as the 'bio-box', which is accessed by a ladder from the former council administrative offices, now home to one of the Otway District Historical Society's history rooms. The entrance and door can still be seen today. Inside the room are markings left by the carpenter, Stan Best – 'Stan Best 1957 10/5'. A small room, typical of the less-than-perfect conditions endured by projectionists, it had access to the roof space and a small window through which movies were projected onto the screen in the hall below. Building regulations at the time required two exits: an external staircase from the roof cavity, which led down to the rear western corner of the hall (this has since been removed), and the internal access.
Glen Pictures of Colac was the first company to trial movie screenings in Beech Forest in May 1923, and these soon became a regular Saturday night event. This was around the time the first commercial cinemas were established in Victoria. The movies shown at this time would have been silent, as the first 'talkies' were not introduced until 1929. Clarence Heywood, Perc Chisholm, Joe's Show, and William 'Talkie' Bell followed until the First World War interrupted screenings and entertainment in general. Following the end of the war, movies resumed and continued to be shown until the 1950s.
So what was it like, and how much influence did movies have?
It was during the 1950s that Roger Smith, from a local forestry family, fondly recalled attending the weekly movie nights at the Beech Forest Hall as a young teenager, describing them as a highlight of the social calendar. He recalls seeing what are now considered classic films, including Singin' in the Rain, High Noon, On the Waterfront, and The Greatest Show on Earth, featuring stars such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, and many more.
Smith recalls:
"There in the dark with just ourselves to answer to and with those evocative images to tempts us, and so many situations to become part of and identify with, we experienced a strange form of freedom - no one was watching over us. We were watching, experiencing and learning on our own terms. It was at the movies where we learnt about heroic deeds and the elation of success, we learnt about honour, including honour among thieves. We were fascinated with the film stars, and we fell in love with them because we believed we were being offered, there in our personal space, the privilege of a personal and intimate relationship".
Although movies were enjoyed for many years, a slow decline began over the following decade with the arrival of television and a declining population. Yet who knows what the future holds for this unique and special little Otway town.
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