The Cinema and Cinema-Going in Scotland, 1896-1950

What did our Scottish grandparents and great grandparents see at the cinema? What thrilled them on the silver screen? This is the first scholarly work to document the cinema habits of early twentieth-century Scots, exploring the growth of early cinema-going and integrating the study of cinema into wider debates in social and economic history. The author draws extensively on archival resources concerning the cinema as a business, on documentation kept by cinema managers, and on the diaries and recollections of cinema-goers. He considers patterns of cinema-going and attendance levels, as well as changes in audience preferences for different genres, stars or national origins of films. The thematic chapters broaden out the discussion of cinema-going to consider the wider social and cultural impact of this early form of mass leisure. Trevor Griffiths' book is a major contribution to the growing body of work on the history and significance of British film. Key features: first major study of early Scottish film; new archives and research; fascinating diary entries; early cinema as business; and, important addition to Scottish film studies. See more