A talk by Dr Emma Hanna (University of Kent) followed by a screening of Gallipoli (Peter Weir, 1981) at the Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton.
The Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton and Gateways to the First World War have co-organised this event as part of the centenary commemorations.
The cinema is hosting Gateways To The First World War's mobile exhibition from 1st July which will culminate on the 23rd July in a special screening of Peter Weir's poignant wartime drama Gallipoli, starring Mel Gibson.
Dr Emma Hanna (University of Kent) who edited the exhibition, will introduce the screening with a free talk Cinema in the First World War.
After the Lumière brothers brought the cinema to Britain in February 1896, music hall managers and fairground entertainers were regularly showing short silent films. By 1910 there were 2900 cinemas in Britain, and in 1914 British people were visiting cinemas 2-3 times a week. The Entertainments Tax in May 1916 made cinema tickets more expensive, yet by January 1917 weekly attendance stood at 21 million tickets. The high demand for cinema showings in London warranted the creation in December 1917 of an open air cinema in Trafalgar Square. This short introductory talk will show how the cinema became the most popular form of entertainment in Britain.
This special event has a one-off special price of £5 per person payable at the Box Office only.
Find out more about the Gateways to the First World War pop-up exhibitions here.
