Sir Sean Connery joins the battle to protect famous Edinburgh cinema from closure

The Edinburgh News have reported that Sir Sean Connery has joined the battle to save the Capital`s most famous cinema from closure.

The Edinburgh-born James Bond star warned the city risked losing star-studded film premieres and a building that was "full of character" and close to his heart if the Odeon in Clerk Street closed.

The cinema has been earmarked for closure within the next year despite winning a stay of execution earlier this month.

The world-famous actor, who brought the premiere of his film Entrapment to the Odeon, said it would be a sad day for the city if the cinema’s reprieve did not become permanent.

Sir Sean, who now lives in the Bahamas, said: "I was delighted to hear that the closure of the Odeon has been put on hold.

"It`s a fantastic film centre, full of character, with fond memories for me. The Odeon is exactly the kind of facility that Edinburgh should be building up - not shutting down.

"We brought the premiere of Entrapment to the Odeon because of what it has to offer - that would all be lost, and Edinburgh would be the poorer, if it closed."

Sir Sean attended the Entrapment premiere with Catherine Zeta Jones at the Odeon in 1999.

Among the other events Sir Sean has attended at the cinema over the years was the premiere of the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever in 1972.

A storm of protest followed the initial announcement that the Southside cinema would close on April 24. It has since been given a reprieve of six to 12 months by cinema chiefs.



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