Film exhibition and film consumption in the countryside: A transnational comparison

This article examines the economics and socio-cultural dynamics of film exhibition and consumption in the European countryside from a transnational per- spective with a particular focus on the Netherlands, (West-)Germany and France. After a brief discussion of cinema’s widespread perception as an urban entertainment medium, the author addresses the question ‘what exactly is a cinema?’ in order to challenge the one-dimensional narrative of traditional film historiography, which has largely overlooked the continued importance of travelling cinema beyond the era of the fairground shows. For the three countries under consideration, the key developments in rural and small-town film exhibition are discussed with a strong focus on commercial screenings in multifunctional venues. The study shows that important factors in shaping film culture in the countryside were the close interrelationship between cinema and other leisure-time activities, limited choice and lack of access to recent films, the rhythms of agriculture and the influence of church, as well as growing mobility and economic prosperity.This article examines the economics and socio-cultural dynamics of film exhibition and consumption in the European countryside from a transnational per- spective with a particular focus on the Netherlands, (West-)Germany and France. After a brief discussion of cinema’s widespread perception as an urban entertainment medium, the author addresses the question ‘what exactly is a cinema?’ in order to challenge the one-dimensional narrative of traditional film historiography, which has largely overlooked the continued importance of travelling cinema beyond the era of the fairground shows. For the three countries under consideration, the key developments in rural and small-town film exhibition are discussed with a strong focus on commercial screenings in multifunctional venues. The study shows that important factors in shaping film culture in the countryside were the close interrelationship between cinema and other leisure-time activities, limited choice and lack of access to recent films, the rhythms of agriculture and the influence of church, as well as growing mobility and economic prosperity

Multifunctional Halls and the Place of Cinema in the European Countryside, 1920-1970

Beginning and ending with the question “what is a cinema?” and with a reconsideration of the notion of cinema’s second birth, this article examines the economic and socio-cultural dynamics of film exhibition and film-going in small-town and rural Western Europe, in particular in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Emphasis is placed on the history of itinerant film exhibition in multifunctional venues in the period after the era of the fairground shows—an important aspect of European film culture which has long been overlooked by cinema historians. Insights from these particular experiences of the cinema can help us to reconceptualize the place of cinema in both rural and urban contexts. A crucial aspect of film-going in multifunctional venues is the fact that it was located in spaces that were used for a wide range of commercial and community activities. The author thus advocates a new cinema historiography that breaks away from the fixation on the medium’s singularity to include its relation with the surrounding socio-cultural contexts in which cinema happened.Prenant pour point de départ et d’arrivée la question « qu’est-ce qu’un cinéma ? », et reconsidérant la notion de seconde naissance du cinéma, cet article étudie les rapports économiques et socioculturels de l’exploitation et de l’expérience cinématographiques dans les petites villes et les zones rurales d’Europe occidentale, en particulier aux Pays-Bas, en Allemagne et en France. L’accent est mis sur l’histoire du cinéma ambulant présenté dans des lieux multifonctionnels dans la période qui a suivi celle des foires — un aspect important de la culture cinématographique européenne qui a longtemps été négligé par les historiens du cinéma. Un aperçu de ces expériences particulières du cinéma peut nous aider à reconsidérer la place de ce dernier dans les contextes ruraux et urbains. Un aspect crucial de la projection de films est le fait qu’elle prenait place dans des lieux multifonctionnels, c’est-à-dire des espaces utilisés pour un large éventail d’activités commerciales et communautaires. L’auteur préconise ainsi une nouvelle historiographie du cinéma qui rompt avec la fixation sur la singularité du médium pour inclure sa relation avec les contextes socioculturels environnants dans lesquels il prend place

Filmgeschiedenis tussen cultuur en economie

Dit themanummer gaat over het filmbedrijf als bedrijf: over ondernemers en ondernemerschap, over concurrentie, marktkansen, verschuivingen in vraag en aanbod, over consumenten en de markt als sociaal proces. Film wordt nadrukkelijk benaderd als een product dat verkocht en gekocht wordt in de context van een kapitalistische economie. Gelet op de geschiedenis van het medium lijkt dit een voor de hand liggende insteek, maar dat is allerminst het geval. In 1974 verbaasde de Groningse hoogleraar Economische en Sociale Geschiedenis Henri Baudet zich over het feit dat ‘praktisch alle filmhistorici wijzen op de economische betekenis van de filmindustrie’, maar dat zij tegelijkertijd aan het economische gezichtspunt slechts marginaal aandacht besteedde

Hidden Talent: The Emergence of Hollywood Agents - Tom Kemper

Review of: Tom Kemper. Hidden Talent: The Emergence of Hollywood Agents. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London (University of California Press) 2010, 312 p., ISBN 978 0 520 25707 8 (pb

Redactioneel

Redactioneel 2010-