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21/2/1896: The Cinematographe debuts in Britain
The first public demonstration of the Lumiere’s Cinematographe in England took place on the 21st February 1896 – more than a month after Birt Acres’ first screening – at the Marlborough Hall of the Royal Polytechnic Institution (now part of the University of Westminster) in Regent Street, London. The hall was the world centre for lantern slide technology at the time, and was thus considered an appropriate choice for what would prove to be a momentous occasion. The programme included films entitled Bathing in the Mediterranean, Russian View, and Arrival of a Mailboat at Folkestone, and each was accompanied by a running commentary. A preview show for the press was given the previous day (the same day that R.W. Paul was demonstrating his Theatrograph projector at Finsbury Technical College). The man in charge of the show was the Lumiere’s agent, magician Felicien Trewey. Only 54 customers attended the first screening, but attendances quickly grew as the word spread.
On the 7th March 1896, Trewey began showing the Cinematographe at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square. [ADD]
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