The Silent Era Through to Sound

Move musings on the dawn of cinema, the forgotten founders of film and the coming of the talkies

The British Silent Film Festival: What the Silent Censor Saw

by Helen Cox 23 April 2012

Last Friday evening, the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse hosted an event with Lucy Betts of the British Board of Film Classification [BBFC] who are celebrating their centenary this year. The event was part of the 15th Annual British Silent Film Festival and the proceedings opened with a bit of an uneasy joke around the fact that even though this gathering [...]

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The Ritz Cinema, Thirsk: A Photo Tour

by Helen Cox 11 April 2012

The Ritz Cinema in Thirsk, North Yorkshire celebrates its centenary this year. Since 1995 the cinema has been managed by a small comittee of volunteers who dedicate their spare time to delivering a varied programme and a warm welcome within their local community.

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The Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley: A Photo Tour

by Helen Cox 3 April 2012

Inside issue 5 of New Empress Magazine we look at one of London’s most beautiful, and one of its longest-standing cinemas, The Phoenix in East Finchley. The article is peppered with some exclusive black and white photographs taken by New Empress photographer Phil Keevil . The shots above and below offer a small taste of [...]

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Carole Lombard: 70 years since death of screen legend

by Maryann O'Connor 16 January 2012

By Maryann O’Connor Today marks 70 years since the death of one of early Hollywood’s brightest stars, Carole Lombard. She was tragically killed in a plane crash on the way back from assisting her home state, Indiana, to raise money for the war effort. She was just 33.

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The Great White Silence: A preview in pictures

by Helen Cox 19 May 2011

As of tomorrow the The Great White Silence (1924) will be released across UK cinemas. The film, newly restored by the British Film Institute , was originally created by British photographer Herbert Ponting (1870-1935) and documents Robert Scott’s Terra Nova expedition of 1910. He joined the expedition as official photographer, taking still pictures and cinematograph film of Antarctica.

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Movie Musings: Is cinema making a spectacle of itself?

by Kezia Tooby 26 April 2011

By Kezia Tooby Tom Gunning coined the term ‘the cinema of attractions’ in his 1986 essay ‘The Cinema of Attractions, Early Film, its Spectator and the Avant-Garde ’. Gunning considers early film, pre-1906, to be an attraction primarily due to the use of new and exciting technology, the main thrill for audiences was the abilities [...]

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In Focus: Film Magazine History: A Snapshot

by Helen Cox 6 April 2011

By Helen Cox Almost as long as there have been films, there have been people writing about them. New Empress Magazine is the latest in a long line of motion picture periodicals. Here’s a little bit of illumination on just a few that lead the way before us… Cinematography and Bioscope Magazine. To call this [...]

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In Focus: Cecil Hepworth

by Helen Cox 28 January 2011

By Helen Cox Ever wonder who was there at the dawn of film? Who devised early special effects and dreamt up innovative new ways of using the camera to effect? Cecil Hepworth was such a man. Undoubtedly amongst the founding fathers of the British film industry Cecil Hepworth experimented with a range of camera shots [...]

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