Movie Theatre Magic

Iszi in the studio. Professional.

The speed with which cinema caught the public’s imagination is remarkable. The first film screenings took place in the 1890s and just two decades later, in the US alone there were thousands of nickelodeons and other spaces where you could watch a movie. Luxurious picture palaces followed soon after and not just in the West: some of India’s Art Deco cinemas are real feasts for the eyes. But the arrival of TV fundamentally changed our relationship with movie theatres and they have struggled to remain central to our film culture ever since.

I explore the 120-year development of movie theatres with film historian Professor Ross Melnick, Professor of Cinema Studies Daniela Treveri Gennari, cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi who is documenting India’s historic cinema buildings, Chinese cinema researcher Professor Jie Li and World Service listeners.

Broadcast on Saturday 26 July 10:06 Local time BBC WORLD SERVICE EXCEPT EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA & WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.

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