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The History of British Cinema: 1928

The Quota Act, which decrees that a minimum of 7.5% of films screened in British cinemas must have been produced in Britain. [ADD]

Michael Balcon and C. M. Woolf form Gainsborough Pictures.   It is acquired by British Gaumont before the end of the year. [ADD]

The UK premiere of The Jazz Singer takes place at the Piccadilly Theatre in London. [ADD]

The “100% all-talkie” The Home Towners, directed by Bryan Foy, opens at the Piccadilly Cinema, in Denman Street, London. [ADD]

Associated British Cinemas (ABC) takes over British International Pictures, Scottish Cinema and Variety Theatre cinema circuits, giving it a chain of 40 cinemas. [ADD]

The London branch of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers holds its inaugural meeting. [ADD]

– After consolidation of Denman Picture Houses and General Theatre Corporation, Gaumont British becomes the country’s largest cinema chain with a total of 187 cinemas. [ADD]

– As a result of the Quota Act, the major Hollywood studios establish UK subsidiaries to make cheap films which become known as Quota Quickies, in order to qualify under the Cinematograph Films Act. [ADD]

– The first purpose-built soundproof studio is built in Ealing by Associated Talking Pictures, whose joint Managing Director is Basil Dean. [ADD]

– Ludwig Blattner acquires the former Neptune Studios at Elstree for his British Phototone Sound Productions. [ADD]

– Julius Hagen and Henry Edwards of Neo-Art form Twickenham Film Studios with director Leslie Hiscott. [ADD]

– Newly registered company British Instructional Pictures builds a studio at Welwyn in Hertfordshire. [ADD]

– British Screen Productions buy Worton Hall Studios at Isleworth. [ADD]

– Islington Studios in London install an RCA Photophone sound system. [ADD]

– John Maxwell’s British International Pictures acquires the German company Sudfilm with the intention of filming and distributing films in Germany. [ADD] 

– John Grierson becomes Assistant Films Officer at the Empire Marketing Board. [ADD]

Other Key Films of 1928

Champagne (Alfred Hitchcock) [ADD]

The Constant Nymph (Adrian Brunel) [ADD]

The Farmer’s Wife (Alfred Hitchcock) [ADD]

Moulin Rouge (E. A. Dupont) [ADD]