Early Cinema in Scotland

John Caughie, Trevor Griffiths, María A. Vélez-Serna

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Year: 2018
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781474420358
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

The popularity of cinema and cinema-going in Scotland was exceptional. By 1929 Glasgow had 127 cinemas, and by 1939 it claimed more cinema seats per capita than any other city in the world. Focusing on the social experience of cinema and cinema-going, this collection of essays provides a detailed context for the history of early cinema in Scotland, from its inception in 1896 until the arrival of sound in the early 1930s. Tracing the movement from travelling fairground shows to the establishment of permanent cinemas in major cities and small towns across the country, the book examines the attempts to establish a sustainable feature film production sector and the significance of an imaginary version of Scotland in international cinema. With case studies of key productions like Rob Roy (1911), early cinema in small towns like Bo'ness, Lerwick and Oban, as well as of the employment patterns in Scottish cinemas, the collection also includes the most complete account of Scottish-themed films produced in Scotland, England, Europe and the USA from 1896 to 1927.

Table of contents

• Title page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgements
• Notes on the Contributors
• CHAPTER 1 Introduction
• CHAPTER 2 Travelling bioscopes and borrowed spaces
• CHAPTER 3 Fixed-site cinemas and the first film renters
• CHAPTER 4 Cinema and cinema-going in small towns
• CHAPTER 5 Making a Living at the Cinema: Scottish Cinema Staff in the Silent Era
• CHAPTER 6 Early Municipal Cinema
• CHAPTER 7 Rob Roy: Britain’s first feature film
• CHAPTER 8 Local Films for Local People: ‘HAVE YOU BEEN CINEMATOGRAPHED?’
• CHAPTER 9 Depicting Scotland: Scotland in Early Films
• CHAPTER 10 The Talkies Triumphant: Scottish Cinema and the Coming of Sound
• CHAPTER 11 Filmography of Scottish-themed Fiction Films
• Bibliography
• Index