The British Cinema Boom, 1909-1914 - A Commercial History

This book examines why thousands of cinemas opened in Britain in the space of a few years before the start of the First World War. It explains how they were the product of an investment boom which observers characterised as economically irrational and irresponsible. Burrows profiles the main groups of people who started cinema companies during this period, and those who bought shares in them, and considers whether the early cinema business might be seen as a bubble that burst. The book examines the impact of the Cinematograph Act 1909 upon the boom, and explains why British film production seemed to decline in inverse proportion to the mass expansion of the market for moving image entertainment. This account also takes a new look at the development of film distribution, the emergence of the feature film and the creation of the British Board of Film Censors. Making systematic and pioneering use of surviving business and local government records, this book will appeal to anyone interested in silent cinema, the history of film exhibition and the economics of popular culture.

List of contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Capital.- 3. Constraints.- 4. Turnover.- 5. Suppliers.- 6. Conclusion.

About the author

Jon Burrows
is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. He is the author of
Legitimate Cinema: Theatre Stars in Silent British Films, 1908-1918
(2003) and numerous essays and articles about British film culture in the silent era.

Summary

Focuses on entrepreneurs who opened the first cinemas in Britain
Examines how cinemas performed as businesses

Provides unique analysis of detailed statistical data about film exhibition, distribution and production in the 1910s

Product details

• Authors: Jon Burrows
• Publisher: Springer Palgrave Macmillan
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2017
• EAN: 9781137396761
• ISBN: 978-1-137-39676-1
• No. of pages: 242
• Dimensions: 151 mm x 221 mm x 19 mm
• Weight: 434 g
• Illustrations: XI, 242 p. 5 illus.
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Photography, film, video, TV; B, Performing Arts, European History, Westeuropa, Film History, auseinandersetzen, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, History of Britain and Ireland, Great Britain—History, Motion pictures, Film and TV History, Motion pictures—History, Motion pictures—Great Britain, British Cinema and TV, Film history, theory & criticism, British Film and TV, Film, TV and Radio industries, Film/TV Industry, Film and Television Industry, Film history, theory or criticism