The British Cinema Boom, 1909–1914

A Commercial History

verfasst von: Jon Burrows

Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

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.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction

Abstract

This chapter (Introduction) explains how the emergence of fixed-site cinemas in Britain differed significantly from the patterns of development experienced a few years earlier in France, Germany and the USA. It notes why commentators have considered it appropriate to characterise the intensive phase of entrepreneurial activity witnessed in the sector between 1909 and 1914 as a classic form of investment boom, comparable to previous economic bubbles involving railway and mineral extraction companies. Statistics concerning the numbers of cinemas opened during the cinema boom period and their average sizes are presented. Existing literature concerned to study film exhibition from a business history perspective is discussed, and the organisation of the book is outlined.

Jon Burrows

Chapter 2. Capital

Abstract

This chapter presents a detailed demographic portrait of both the entrepreneurs involved in setting up cinema companies and their shareholders, and charts the annual volume of company registrations and capital raised during the boom years. It is shown that the early film industry was dominated by occupational groups experiencing economic recession, and also that cinema companies struggled to reach their investment targets, with only a small proportion publicly floated. The reasons for this are explained via a detailed comparison between the cinema boom and the roller skating rink investment boom that immediately preceded it, which shows that the enthusiasm of professional investors for popular amusement concerns was on the wane by 1910, as a result of the excesses of the rinking boom.

Jon Burrows

Chapter 3. Constraints

Abstract

This chapter examines the impact of the Cinematograph Act 1909 upon the cinema boom, studying the London County Council’s (LCC) implementation of the Act in detail. Contrary to prevailing wisdom, it is shown that the Act directly stimulated sector growth, and that its regulations were administered in a permissive spirit, without detriment to smaller ventures. In fact, it is pointed out that exhibitors began to lobby the LCC to be more selective in considering licence applications as competition intensified. Furthermore, the LCC was reluctant to censor film content, and its controversial restrictions upon Sunday opening are shown to be as liberal as was politically conceivable in this period, designed to protect the leisure time of cinema employees rather than serving a religious agenda.

Jon Burrows

Chapter 4. Turnover

Abstract

This chapter (‘Turnover’) looks at the trading performances of film exhibition companies and a selection of individual cinemas in this period. Data concerning the dissolution of joint-stock companies reveals that cinema ventures with good capital subscription and low borrowing levels tended to be long-lived. Profitability levels within the sector are shown to be generally quite poor, however, and the reasons for this—along with some striking exceptions to the rule—are considered. The chapter concludes with an examination of a range of surviving box office records from the 1910s. These figures suggest that larger cinemas were competing for, and reliant upon, patrons whose weekly attendance patterns were not unselective or particularly frequent (a very large proportion of business being done on Saturdays and public holidays).

Jon Burrows

Chapter 5. Suppliers

Abstract

This chapter identifies key problems in the supply of film product to cinemas, at the level of both domestic film production and the ‘open market’ system of film renting. It shows that lack of capital was the most significant cause of native filmmakers’ chronic weaknesses, and that the prevailing form of film distribution in Britain did not properly cater to exhibitors’ needs. Various attempts at reforming the ‘open market’ are documented (including efforts made by American companies to secure monopolistic control of the industry, of which the formation of the British Board of Film Censors was one by-product), and it is argued that, although the practice of renting multiple-reel feature films on exclusive terms was an ideal solution, its widespread adoption was inhibited by a number of factors.

Jon Burrows

Chapter 6. Conclusion

Abstract

This chapter (Conclusion) summarises and draws together the principal findings of the book. It highlights how several preconceptions about the class character of early film culture have been challenged, how the cinema boom differed from classic investment booms, and reflects upon various problems caused by the low barriers to entry into the field of film exhibition. It also considers the way in which the cinema boom effected a reconceptualisation of the commodity status of films, confounding the expectations of some of the leading players in the boom and the observations of economists.

Jon Burrows

Backmatter

Titel: The British Cinema Boom, 1909–1914
verfasst von: Jon Burrows
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-39677-8
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-39676-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-39677-8