Did they show short films before the feature in the 1990s?
Discussion
I have this weird memory from when I was a teenager, that I must share. It happened when I went to see, I think, Goldeneye with my brother and my Dad. It was at the Cheltenham Odeon or some other traditional Gloucestershire cinema, rather than a modern multiplex, and it was the first time I had been with the family. I was prepared for some simple Bond excitement, but what I got was an odd experience that has stuck with me, enough that I am writing about it today.
We sat down in the theatre. For the first 10 minutes of the showing, I couldn't work out what on earth was going on. This Bond film was nothing like the others. I had so far spent my time experiencing an incredibly dark, fantastically brooding production, clearly nothing to do with James Bond, with an atmosphere as distressing to me as those horrible nuclear explosion scenes were in terminator 2. There were no people that I remember, but there was a narration. Some guy talking deep, depressed nonsense while the picture was just lot of shots played on the screen, of a viewpoint taken from a city looking up into the sky. It was almost disturbing. I think this guy talked about how he liked to film the sky, just film it for some reason, but at some point a huge ship of some sort came into shot and hovered above the city, giving me a huge sense of fear, more so as I had no idea what I was watching. This ship was just as in Independence Day a year later. The shots from street level had real power as this beast menaced overhead. What on earth was this? It ended as quickly as it began. There was no story, no beginning or end, just this strange moody.... thing.... That just happened. Then Bond started.
This entirely strange experience has stuck with me. I remember thinking we had wondered into the wrong screen, or that I wasn't going to enjoy this moody and dark Bond flim. I'm sure I asked why this was happening. Why was I watching a short film about a moody alien ship terrorising a city with no beginning or end and some guy just talking over it?
So what did I see? Was this a common phenomenon in the 1990s? Were there 15 minute long short films before the main event? Can anyone even name this film or point me in a direction?! I know this was not a trailer, or if so it was outrageously long and did not advertise a film.
Help me find out so that I can ease the broody memories it has left me with!!
We sat down in the theatre. For the first 10 minutes of the showing, I couldn't work out what on earth was going on. This Bond film was nothing like the others. I had so far spent my time experiencing an incredibly dark, fantastically brooding production, clearly nothing to do with James Bond, with an atmosphere as distressing to me as those horrible nuclear explosion scenes were in terminator 2. There were no people that I remember, but there was a narration. Some guy talking deep, depressed nonsense while the picture was just lot of shots played on the screen, of a viewpoint taken from a city looking up into the sky. It was almost disturbing. I think this guy talked about how he liked to film the sky, just film it for some reason, but at some point a huge ship of some sort came into shot and hovered above the city, giving me a huge sense of fear, more so as I had no idea what I was watching. This ship was just as in Independence Day a year later. The shots from street level had real power as this beast menaced overhead. What on earth was this? It ended as quickly as it began. There was no story, no beginning or end, just this strange moody.... thing.... That just happened. Then Bond started.
This entirely strange experience has stuck with me. I remember thinking we had wondered into the wrong screen, or that I wasn't going to enjoy this moody and dark Bond flim. I'm sure I asked why this was happening. Why was I watching a short film about a moody alien ship terrorising a city with no beginning or end and some guy just talking over it?
So what did I see? Was this a common phenomenon in the 1990s? Were there 15 minute long short films before the main event? Can anyone even name this film or point me in a direction?! I know this was not a trailer, or if so it was outrageously long and did not advertise a film.
Help me find out so that I can ease the broody memories it has left me with!!
Sounds like a trailer for Braveheart. 
Or 12 Monkeys (which they're going to do a TV spin off BTW).
They used to show all sorts of crap before the main feature. Low budget "B Movies", cartoons, Kia-Ora adverts, King Cone adverts, Pah Pah Pah Pah Pearl & Dean. Then they'd have an intermission or two during the main film to sell you more junk food.
Or 12 Monkeys (which they're going to do a TV spin off BTW).
They used to show all sorts of crap before the main feature. Low budget "B Movies", cartoons, Kia-Ora adverts, King Cone adverts, Pah Pah Pah Pah Pearl & Dean. Then they'd have an intermission or two during the main film to sell you more junk food.
In the 60s there were often A and B features- a shortish low budget film and then the main feature. In the interval the usherettes would appear with trays to sell ice cream and Kia Ora orange. The now cult film The Wicker Man was a support cheapie- can't remember what it supported. There were also often news montage films covering recent current affairs made usually by British Movietonenews- cue rousing music and a bright and brittle announcer with Oxford vowels (..an ecktor(eg Sean Connery ), ektuelly etc). The last one I recall covered Tom Pryce's fatal accident at Kyalami in 77.
The 60s was the last decade really where the old style "programme" was followed in cinemas.
The typical programme (which dated back to the 1930s) would be as follows -
A cartoon short - often an MGM "Tom and Jerry", a Disney "Silly Symphonies" or a Warner Brothers "Merry Melody"
A 20 minute newsreel - Pathé News or Gaumont British News
A short documentary. A popular series was "The March of Time"
A "B" Feature - a lower budget Hollywood Movie with lesser known stars
The main feature
Admission could be as low as 2d (2 old pennies - the equivalent of 1p today)
In the 1930s, my dad and his friends could be admitted into the local cinema (every town had one) for a jam jar. In those days, the 2d deposit included in the price of the jam was return when the earthenware jar was returned to the shop.
Some cinemas would accept the jam jars in lieu of cash.
Different times.
The typical programme (which dated back to the 1930s) would be as follows -
A cartoon short - often an MGM "Tom and Jerry", a Disney "Silly Symphonies" or a Warner Brothers "Merry Melody"
A 20 minute newsreel - Pathé News or Gaumont British News
A short documentary. A popular series was "The March of Time"
A "B" Feature - a lower budget Hollywood Movie with lesser known stars
The main feature
Admission could be as low as 2d (2 old pennies - the equivalent of 1p today)
In the 1930s, my dad and his friends could be admitted into the local cinema (every town had one) for a jam jar. In those days, the 2d deposit included in the price of the jam was return when the earthenware jar was returned to the shop.
Some cinemas would accept the jam jars in lieu of cash.
Different times.
I remember going to see a film in the late-ish 70's when I was about 9/10 years old with my friend and his Dad. I think the film was King Kong - the one with Jessica Lange.
Anyway, the short film they showed before the main event was something with John Cleese and Connie Booth, which involved a fair amount (as I recall) of full frontal nudity. The whole place was full of giggling kids and embarrassed parents.
Anyway, the short film they showed before the main event was something with John Cleese and Connie Booth, which involved a fair amount (as I recall) of full frontal nudity. The whole place was full of giggling kids and embarrassed parents.
Edited by DavesFlaps on Friday 1st August 10:32
Eric Mc said:
Long films (ca. 3 hours or so) usually had a planned intermission. I am surprised that modern long films don't do this - as it is a "selling opportunity" - and a chance to go to the loo.
When I saw Lord Of The Rings at the cinema we had a break in the middle. Have to say I almost took it as an opportunity to go home as the seats in the Curzon in Loughborough weren't the most comfortable!My local cinema, Kinema in the Woods at Woodhall Spa, still do an intermission in every film. None of today's films are made for it of course, but about half way through, sometimes mid-sentence, the film stops, the lights come up and they expect you to go out to the foyer to buy food and drinks. This goes on for about 15 mins and then they start it up again.
lufbramatt said:
When I saw Lord Of The Rings at the cinema we had a break in the middle. Have to say I almost took it as an opportunity to go home as the seats in the Curzon in Loughborough weren't the most comfortable!
Ha, I know how that feels because that's what where I watched it too. 
There's a wonderful industry for short films and I love them. I even started a thread in here a few months back to post any people had seen but the thread died without a response, so I guess that might indicate how welcome they would be if shown before a mainstream film.
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