Take a tour of Glasgow's Cinema City
Though 2011's Glasgow Film Festival may have been a hit with audiences, and a diverse selection of film events take place around Glasgow throughout the year, the city's love affair with cinema stretches back a long way.
In the 1930s Glasgow was home to around 130 picture palaces, with residents seeing a film on average once a week. To celebrate the city's cinema-going legacy, Glasgow Film, the organisation behind the Film Theatre and Film Festival, recently launched a Cinema City project.
Here, Gail Tolley, a programmer at the Glasgow Film Festival and part of the Cinema City team, sheds some light on the project's background and explains what film fans around the globe can enjoy on the website and around the city's streets.
Jonathan Melville: What is the Cinema City project and where did the concept come from?
Gail Tolley: The Cinema City project is about celebrating Glasgow's relationship with moving image. Back in the 30s Glasgow gained the name ˜Cinema City' because of the sheer number of cinemas the city had, plus its residents went to the cinema more often than those in the rest of the UK. In short, Glaswegians were massive cinema-goers!
Today Glasgow still has some of the busiest cinemas in the UK, plus Cineworld Renfrew Street is the tallest cinema in the world “ it's in the Guinness Book of Records! Glasgow Film have long been aware of how much history there is of filmmaking and film watching in the city and were keen to bring back the Cinema City name and make it relevant for the 21st Century. They were lucky enough to receive some funding at the end of last year which has enabled the project to get on its feet. At the end of July we had an official launch of the film with a preview of Perfect Sense, David Mackenzie's latest film shot in the city.
What will people find on the website?
In practice the project is a mix of online features, interactive material plus real life events. Online you'll find maps of archive footage, forgotten cinemas and film locations plus a whole load of interviews and features on filmmaking in the city. One unique aspect of the project is some of the interviews with those working behind the scenes, for instance Alison Young did a fantastic interview with GFT projectionist Barney McCue. Barney has been working in Glasgow cinemas for decades and had some great stories.
Recently I also chatted to Janet McBain who helped found the Scottish Screen Archive, I ended up chatting to her for over an hour she had so many great stories about Scotland and filmmaking.
As well as the content online, we have monthly film screenings of some of the best films made in the city. At the end of August we're showing Terence Davies' The House of Mirth, where Glasgow doubled up as New York.
How did you decide on the launch features and sections?
The project's been growing gradually over the last few months and there's more to come too. We wanted to make sure we explored both old and new aspects of film and the city, including film production, the built cinema environment and individual cinema experiences.
Is the site of interest to people who don't live in Glasgow?
Absolutely. Anyone who's interested in film will find something to capture their imagination on the site. The features and interviews reach far beyond the city. For example there are several extensive features on forgotten classic Death Watch, a film made in the late 70s by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Harvey Keitel, Romy Schneider and Harry Dean Stanton (plus an early performance by Robbie Coltrane).
There's also a video clip of Hollywood actor Anthony LaPaglia (from Without a Trace) talking about his experiences of Scotland.
So in short, whilst a lot of the bits and pieces up there are rooted in Glasgow it in fact has a far wider reach.
I also think it will appeal to those visiting the city “ there are interactive maps of cinemas and film locations which offer a chance to discover a completely different side of the city.
What do you have in development?
We've just finished making two audio tours, 30 minute podcasts that take you on a trip around the city and reveal Glasgow's hidden film history. BBC broadcaster John Cavanagh was our host. The first was with Gordon Barr, editor of Scottish Cinemas website, looking at some of the old cinemas in the city, and the second was with Pasquale Iannone, film lecturer at Edinburgh University, talking about films made in the centre of Glasgow.
We had a blast recording these and the guys were brilliant. I tagged along and learnt so much myself. Did you know there's a former cinema on St George's Road which used to have a huge model of the Forth Bridge on its façade “ with fully operational model trains!
The tours should be online in the next couple of weeks.
How do people submit their own photos or memories to the website?
We recently launched a section of the site asking for people to submit their memories of cinema-going in the city. We've had some brilliant ones come through (a couple even made the GFT staff cry!). It's just amazing how so many people's most treasured memories are tied in with the cinema, either the films they saw or shared experience they had with others there.
People can submit memories and also read stories that people have shared.
Take a tour of the Cinema City website and find out what Cinema City events are coming up at the Glasgow Film Theatre.