Illusion and Forgetfulness: 50 Years of Bernstein Cinemas

Photographs, publicity and other original material from the Sidney Bernstein and William Bush archives in BFI Special Collections. This display has been postponed until November/December due to refurbishment.

"In so many lives that are drab and devoid of colour, the Kinema brings a measure of illusion and forgetfulness" - so commented Sidney Bernstein in 1924. Over the next 50 years he was to create Granada - the largest independent cinema chain in the country.

Collaborating with Russian designer Komisarjevsky, Bernstein brought the exotic to deprived areas of London and the provinces with sumptuously decorated cinemas and glamorously uniformed staff. His theatre managers were meticulously trained to be not only inventive and ruthless showmen, but pillars of their community - as respected as a bank manager or a doctor.

'Socialist Millionaire' Bernstein insisted his cinemas were both lucrative businesses and the social hub of their town, offering not just escape but a sense of belonging. From the pioneering of children's matinees in the 20s to the introduction of bingo in the 70s, the amusing, surprising and frequently touching world of Granada showmanship is explored through a variety of photographs, publicity and other original material from the Sidney Bernstein and William Bush archives in BFI Special Collections.

An illustrated talk by Carolyne Bevan (BFI Special Collections) will take a closer look at this subject using material from the personal collections of Bernstein and his most flamboyant protégée William Bush. Mon 5 Jan, 18:10, NFT3