Cinéligue NPDC Théâtre St Martin

Film: Incredibles 2 (2018)

Screens: 1  Ticket Price: 4.80€

Three years after my first Cinéligue experience (in Fruges), the chance to go to another of their screenings finally came around again -- this time in Beaurainville, which, from where we were staying, is on the way to Montreuil-sur-Mer.  At least three consecutive issues of a local weekly newspaper listed the screening as taking place a day later than the date advertised on Cinéligue's website, which was something of a concern.  In the end I went with the website and, thankfully, that was the right choice.  Although I couldn't help but think that Cinéligue could well have lost out on some business due to this error, with many of the good people of Beaurainville potentially turning up a day late (and a euro short).

I'd never been to Beaurainville before, and while the drive there was pretty straightforward I must confess I doubt if I'd have found the venue without the aid of the previously-vilified GPS.  When I did find the right street, I was mighty relieved to see the Cinéligue van stationed in front of the building.  I parked up in a nearby side street and headed on in.

This venue is quite different to the one in Fruges in that it is an actual theatre, so the stage and the permanent seating etc. are all in place, and in all honesty it would pretty much pass for a dedicated cinema if you were unaware that this was a Cinéligue venture.  I'm pretty sure that the friendly guy who sold me my ticket (who also starts the projector and, presumably, drives the van) is the same one I encountered last time, and, amazingly, the ticket price was also the same as it was in Fruges in 2015.

An 8.30 start is a bit late for a film primarily aimed at kids, and Pixar don't exactly do snappy 80-minute films.  Add on the obligatory short film and a couple of trailers -- plus a delay for the man to get from the ticket counter to the projector -- and it was after 10.30 when we started spilling out into the dark; even I was wilting a bit by the end.  Cinéligue usually tend to screen kids' films as matinees, but I suppose it was the school holidays.  As you can see from the above picture, the building is quite striking, and it was a very nice place to catch up with a film I was otherwise struggling to fit in over the crammed summer schedule.  Three years on, my opinion of the whole Cinéligue operation hasn't changed: it's a fantastic initiative which you should try and support/experience if you ever find yourself within easy reach of one of their events.

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Le Regency

Films: Maya the Bee: The Honey Games (2018), Un flic (2019; original release: 1972)

Screens: 1  Ticket Price: 6.50€

We'd never been to Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise until the day we visited the cinema there, and although it's probably the nearest permanent cinema to "our" village (meaning: the one we've holidayed in for the past four summers), it's still a good 40 minutes or so away by car.  Such a journey would have been a bit prohibitive had it been just for the sake of a single film but was fine when, as in our instance, a cinema trip could be part of a longer afternoon out which also included a walk around the funfair, a productive (if expensive) visit to an excellent newsagent, and a well-earned menthe à l'eau at a very pleasant café.  Saint-Pol is quite compact and it doesn't take long to get around the centre on foot; parking is also surprisingly straightforward -- there's a handy free car park (restricted on Mondays, when the market comes to town) by the town hall, which is just a stone's throw from the cinema.

The Regency itself has its small entrance located in the side of a much bigger building, but the film posters outside make it an easy place to spot.  This modest opening gives way to a welcoming foyer featuring some interesting pictures, which you can have a look at before approaching the ticket/popcorn counter.  The auditorium itself is very comfortable and quite grand, with the rather utilitarian exterior of the Regency providing no hint of the relatively palatial space that's housed within.

The lone member of staff on duty was very pleasant, and the ticket and snack prices were quite reasonable.  They could probably charge a bit more, seeing as they're not just the only show in town, but rather the only show for countless towns around.  That said, from reading the local paper and flicking through some magazines in the foyer, it is obvious that the Regency takes a great deal of pride in playing a big part in community life, with numerous schools screenings and other special events peppering their calendar.  The team here clearly work very hard at bringing a great range of films to Saint-Pol, and at the time of our visit a season of classic musicals -- all in VO -- was in progress.  The cinema has also been known to attract the odd megastar -- the aforementioned pictures on the foyer wall providing evidence of a recent visit from none other than Dany Boon, and in a couple of weeks or so the legendary Michel Ocelot will be there to introduce his latest (and no doubt wondrous) slice of animation.  

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