The everyman cinema, hampstead: film, art and community in the 1930s

Abstract

This article examines the role of one of the first arthouse cinemas in London, the Everyman in Hampstead. A detailed local study, it also explores the wider context of cinema in Britain in the 1930s when an art film culture was being formed and developed. It argues that the Everyman, albeit one small cinema, was a significant agent in the creation of this new culture. It argues that the particularities of place contributed to the distinctive identity of the cinema. Hampstead in the 1930s, with the influx of modernist and avant-garde artists, many of them exiles from Fascist Europe, became the centre of a vibrant artistic community. And the Everyman, with its programme of independent and foreign language films, along with art exhibitions, was an integral part of this community. A detailed analysis of the enterprising programming strategies of the Everyman will explore differences and similarities with other art cinemas and will examine how its repertory programming, which included revivals and seasons from a broad range of world cinema, contributed to its success.