This film charts the history of the Electric cinema in Birmingham and the end of 35mm in cinemas.the Electric started life in 1911 and then became in turns a news theatre,sex cinema,art house and now a rather posh cinema.We hear of the experiences of customers ,staff and operators.one old lady tells of her experiences when visiting the cinema in 1918.We also get to see various other cinemas of similar vintage,including my own local ,the Phoenix in East Finchley.The decline of 35mm film is charted.It now looks as if 2013 may be the last year when film is shown in remaining cinemas.As someone who has owned 8,9.5 and 16mm projectors,i have always enjoyed using projectors.However we must now realise that progress has overtaken film and that digital is the way of the future.An absorbing film which will be of great interest to anyone with a passion for cinema.
2 Reviews
Not really about "the last projectionist" at all
projector_gadget5 January 2015
What a shame. This film isn't what it says it is. Whilst it is made with the best intentions and carries a strong passion for preserving independent cinema in the UK it skims over the history of projection and focuses (near-advertises) it's attention on the history of supposedly the oldest working cinema in the UK. The interviews are mostly informal group pint chats with ex- employees. Feels like a missed opportunity and a slight mis-steer in marketing. The irony is this tries to delve into the history of 35mm projection, but only gets to that at the end with a brief look at a working projector, yet is made in "glorious HD". Still, it's nice someone has gone to the effort of broaching the subject!
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