Review: Vauxhall Village Summer Screen

Vauxhall Village Presents Summer Screen 2014: The Big Lebowski

For the past six weeks the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens have been presenting pop-up film screenings every Tuesday evening. Lambeth locals and other Londoners have come in their droves to enjoy various films in the warm summer’s sun. The finale of this film season was The Big Lebowski, and it was the perfect film to end on (helped in part by the particularly brilliant weather that evening).

To those unfamiliar with The Big Leboswki, it is a comedy about an unemployed stoner “The Dude” seeking restitution for his ruined rug but soon finding himself embroiled in a bizarre kidnap plot. Directed by the esoteric Coen Brothers, it’s a cult classic with lines so iconic that they provoke a laugh (and often an impression) before the actor has uttered a word. This would be annoying for anyone who hadn’t yet seen the film but a rare pleasure for a fan like me. And with at least two thousand people watching, it was all the more rewarding.

Different films have shown over the past six weeks, each starting at roughly 9pm with visitors advised to arrive early to get a good spot. Blankets were available to hire for £2.50 and deckchairs at £5. There were food and drink stands dotted around and there were various supermarkets and off-licences in the area as too.

Oh, and the screening itself was absolutely free.

A truly brilliant event and a community-lead scheme that makes me proud to live in Vauxhall. It’s the end of this season but I am sure Vauxhall Village Presents… will be back again. This is the fourth such event and it shows no signs of slowing down.

We want it to continue for years to come and, just like The Dude of the film, Vauxhall tends to abide.

Check out more events at @VauxhallVillage HERE.

Written by Gareth Brown | @GarethBrown26

Gareth is a writer on our collaborative story High Society. The latest part can be read here.

Check out Gareth’s Youtube Channel and Booksie Page for his films and short stories.