GOLD VIOLET BLACK CRIMSON WHITE

In the early days of cinema, audiences were anything but silent, and the films were anything but black and white. This book reveals what was seen, heard, and said in the picture houses of Britain at that time, including the controversial and unseen Five Nights film. David Hewitt reconstructs the film and places it in a setting of his own creation, showcasing a world of actors, film producers, suffragettes, Zeppelins, Chinese women, and countless men trying to make you think they are Charlie Chaplin. It is a heady world, where everyone speaks at once and a young woman can direct a film of her own, but anyone can lose everything at the whim of a constable or a magistrate.

Format: Paperback
Publication date: 28 July 2022
Publisher: TROUBADOR PUBLISHING LTD

The early days of cinema were far from black and white, and if the films were silent, the audiences were anything but. This captivating book unveils the sights, sounds, and conversations that unfolded within the picture houses of Britain during that era. It is a vibrant, raucous, and tumultuous world, a realm into which Five Nights emerged. Despite its controversial nature and a bitter court case that has kept it unseen for a century, the film comes to life once again in these pages, thanks to the meticulous reconstruction by David Hewitt.

Drawing on long-forgotten documents, Hewitt reconstructs the film and sets it in a fictional context of his own creation. Within this framework, he presents a kaleidoscope of characters, from actors and actresses to film producers and directors, suffragettes and Zeppelins, Pimple and Winky, Chinese women, both real and imagined, and countless men who pose as Charlie Chaplin. This is a heady world, where everyone speaks at once, and a young woman can direct a film of her own. However, anyone can lose everything at the whim of a constable or a magistrate, or at the hands of an angry mob.

This world is characterized by a mix of eccentricities and peculiarities, including eyots, dulcitones, psalterium, imortelles, and bhang. It may seem familiar, but it holds a strange and enigmatic quality that has never been quite like before.

The author, David Hewitt, can be followed on his Twitter handle: @historycalled

ISBN-13: 9781803133164