The Daquin was housed in a building in what was (and still is) the National School of Music, on Calais' rue du 11 Novembre. I'd been visiting Calais for years before discovering this side street, which isn't one you'd typically venture along during a day trip to the town. The Daquin, which opened in 1981, basically showed art-house films, and such programming provided an alternative to the more commercial fare offered by the Alhambra (in its first guise, before it was renamed the Arcades), which is situated just around the corner. The films at the Daquin played on a large screen in the Erik Satie room, and performances at the venue alternated between films and concerts.
The opening of the 12-screen Gaumont in the mid-90s saw the Daquin slash its number of screenings, and the cinema closed down in the summer of 2000 (the Arcades' closure swiftly followed, for similar reasons). Still, the Daquin was open for nearly two decades, which is quite impressive considering that it always had some pretty fierce competition. The building's exterior has undergone some remodelling since the cinema closed, but it's still very recognisable as the venue that once provided some welcome alternative programming for Calaisiens. The current Alhambra, with its inventive mix of art-house and mainstream cinema, effectively fulfils the roles of both the previous Alhambra/Arcades and the Daquin.
