Overview

Cinema-going was the most popular commercial leisure activity in the first half of the twentieth century, peaking in 1946 with 1.6 billion recorded admissions. Though ‘going to the pictures’ remained a popular pastime, the transition to peacetime altered citizens’ leisure habits. During the 1950s increased affluence, the growth of television ownership and the diversification of leisure led to rapid declines in attendance. Cinema attendances fell in all regions, but the speed, nature and extent of decline varied widely across the United Kingdom. By linking national developments to detailed case studies of Belfast and Sheffield, this book adds nuance to our understanding of regional variations in film exhibition, audience habits and cinema-going experiences during a period of profound social and cultural change. Drawing on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative sources, Cinema and Cinema-Going conveys the diverse nature of this important industry, and the significance of place as a determinant of film attendance in post-war Britain. Dr Sam Manning teaches at Queen’s University Belfast and is a postdoctoral researcher on the AHRC European Cinema Audiences project at Oxford Brookes University. He has recently published articles on the history of cinemas in Northern Ireland in Cultural and Social History and Media History.

Full Product Details

9781912702343

Table of Contents

Reviews

A significant addition to the cultural and social history of the United Kingdom. This well-documented study is an addition to the history of British cinema and post-World War II leisure culture... This book is an important read for students and historians of cultural and social history. * Studies in European Cinema * An excellent addition to the wider publications produced under the 'New Cinema History' banner. Exploring the everchanging nature of Britain's film industry and its products has been a point of interest for some time amongst film scholars, but only in the most recent decade have cinema attendance and viewer experiences become a central point of research. Manning's publication builds upon the ideas of several prominent film scholars, like Sue Harper, Vincent Porter and Stuart Hanson. Utilising qualitative and quantitative evidence, Manning addresses a series of social, economic and political factors to further understand the decline of regional cinemas in the UK from 1945-1965. * Eras Journal *

Author Information

Sam Manning is a postdoctoral researcher on the AHRC European Cinema Audiences project. He has recently published articles in Cultural and Social History and Media History.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available