This film is part of Free
The Opening of the South Wales and West of England Cinema Exchange and Club
Cardiff's great and good take a walk down to the city's newest movie attraction.
Overview
As Cardiff's great and good take a walk down to the city's newest movie attraction, it's clear that this opening ceremony was a smart affair - all brogues, brollies and bowler hats. But the film is not nearly as lavish: a few simple shots are strung together to document the bustling attendance. And this initial enthusiasm must have worn off fast: the cinema went bust in 1927.
A bit of speculation - it's quite likely that this film would have been rushed off to the lab for developing as soon as the roll was fully exposed; then, just moments after filing into the new cinema, the audience could enjoy the time-bending spectacle of observing their own entering. It's a gag which goes back to the days of the 'cinema of attractions', but which was often played upon cinemagoers attending special events well into the late 1920s.
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