A Companion to Early Cinema

In our present age the moving image has become for many the preferred medium of communication. In the hundred years since the first public showings of flickering images were projected onto makeshift screens in fairground booths, the moving image has become an accepted means of communication. Ironically advances in technology appear set to do away with visits to the cinema by allowing us to request and download films for viewing in the comfort of our own homes. In the days before television most cities and towns could boast a range of cinemas showing the latest Hollywood offerings; that few of...