Oh and race! Many theaters were segregated, there were only a few Black theaters, movies with Black casts did not enjoy financial support from big business. When such films were released, the cast was touted as a draw because people like onscreen representation.
(Proponents of the Invisible Hand, the notion that business will naturally lean ethical, constantly argue that Hollywood wouldn't leave money on the table if there had been a REAL demand. Well, they did in the silent era and the success of SINNERS indicates they're doing it now.)
So, when Norman (one of the major studios catering to Black audiences) released a film, they screamed on the posters because every ticket sale counted and these movies were so popular they were literally played to death (only one Norman film survives)
Well that poster certainly sold me on it!
(I should probably have phrased that as "one of the leading studios" because "major" is a loaded term in film history and tends to refer to the MGMs. My point is that Norman was an important purveyor of genre entertainment vs Oscar Micheaux's highly personal and politically loaded films)
Nowadays at least the DCPs seen in the small venues are the same quality as those in the big cities. I remember having to wait months for movies to make it to Scotland after they opened in London and the prints were scratched and even faded by the time we got them.
Same in N Wales. My dad managed a cinema there back in the 60s, long before I was born, and told me it could be six months or more before some films made it there.
Love this thread, love learning about the deeper history of film. Makes me want to search out more and more of the silent era. Thanks for everything you do!
my mom recently paid a visit to this museum. Said it's a great setup
"Proponents of the Invisible Hand (...) constantly argue that Hollywood wouldn't leave money on the table if there had been a REAL demand. Well, they did in the silent era and the success of SINNERS indicates they're doing it now."