Introduction

This index is dedicated to the memory of

Martin Barker

(1946 - 2022)

Long-standing anti-censorship and anti-racism campaigner

who taught me so much about the value of critical thinking in the

area of film and video. A remarkable man, who will be much missed.

This is an attempt to index every commercial feature film / serial / documentary screened theatrically in the UK from the dawn of silent cinema to the 21st century. The final tally represents almost 55,000 separate items, listed concisely within the time period of their original exhibition.

Each entry covers one month's worth of releases, beginning in February 1908, when the UK cinema trade secured its very first 'feature' film (The Story of the Kelly Gang). The vast majority of releases at this time were short items, so the novelty value of such a film cannot be overestimated. Similar 'novelties' were relatively rare until around 1912, when the number of features began to rise exponentially. By 1915, the trade in long-form productions was an established fact across the entire world, unleashing a flood of creativity that continues unabated to this very day.

For each entry, I've included details which give some idea of how the films are meant to look and sound. This is important because film is an audiovisual medium, and readers should be aware of how individual items are supposed to be viewed. For example, if the film was originally in 3-D and scope dimensions (2.39:1 aspect ratio), with Dolby Atmos sound, then a TV/video/streaming presentation which abandons 3-D for 2-D and crops the image to 16:9 (or 4:3), along with mono sound, is going to be a very different experience from the one that was originally intended!

As such, anyone who follows the blog will see the way technology changes the industry from one year to the next. Virtually all films from the early days until the 1920's are black and white and silent. Then slowly, inevitably, sound begins to creep into the mix, along with an increased use of colour. After the talkies arrive, things settle for a while, interrupted only briefly by some daring experimentations with wide gauge film (scuppered by the Depression and some bad-tempered bloke with a loud mouth and silly moustache) and a surprising dip into multi-channel audio (Fantasia), before cinema tech really ramped up the novelty value during the 1950's (Cinerama! 3-D! CinemaScope! Todd-AO!). Audiences have been reaping the rewards of those advances ever since.

But if you just want a record of what's been playing at 'the pictures' at any point in British film history, it's all here: The great and the good, the ghastly and the grim.

I'd like to think the Index is complete, but even the most diligent researcher can make mistakes on a project of this size and scope. If I've missed any titles, let me know and I'll be more than happy to correct the record.

All that being said, I'm acutely aware that any such Index - no matter how comprehensive - can only cover part of the story of film distribution in the UK. Since the late 1970's, thousands of films have bypassed cinemas altogether and debuted instead on home video and streaming platforms. I would dearly love to have included such entries here, but without access to precise details surrounding titles and release dates, it simply hasn't been possible. I can only hope that someone equally obsessive will have gathered such information with a view to publishing it in due course.

Concurrent with the blog, I'm also compiling an alphabetized version of the entire Index which includes alternate titles, running times, director and sequels, etc. Entries in that version look like this:

Carry On Cleo

(aka: Caligula's Funniest Home Videos)

UK - 1964 - 92m - col

Warner-Pathé / Anglo-Amalgamated (A) (cut)

D: Gerald Thomas

Series: Carry On Sergeant (1958).

Mono / 1.75:1

Jun 1969

Night of the Demon

(USA: Curse of the Demon)

UK - 1957 - 95m - bw

Columbia (X) (cut)

D: Jacques Tourneur

US release print: 82 mins.

Mono / 1.75:1

Nov 1957

Superman

USA - 1978 - 143m - col / Panavision

Columbia-EMI-Warner (A)

D: Richard Donner

Prints: 35mm / 70mm

Followed by: Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) / 70mm Dolby 5.1 / 2.39:1 / Dec 1978

Should any publisher be interested in looking at this particular document, with a view to publication, please let me know via the comments section.

For now, this is the complete record of feature-length theatrical releases in the UK. From the sublime to the ridiculous, the lofty to the low - all cinematic life is here.

Enjoy!