Being a self-confessed lover of cinema my entire life, I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that the biggest collection of celluloid history was right on my own doorstep – well, to be more precise, based here in our fair city of Exeter.
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, located on the university campus, at the Old Library building, Prince of Wales Road, has its origins aptly stem from renowned British filmmaker Bill Douglas. Born 1934 in the poor mining village of Newcraighall near Edinburgh, Bill grew up against a background of poverty, hardship and broken family life. He found happiness though the world of movies, where he was able to buy a ticket for the price of two jam jars. Throughout his career, he became best known for the Douglas Trilogy (1972-1978), a series of semi-autobiographical films, based on his own childhood
experiences. Comrades followed in 1987, telling the powerful historical tale about the Tolpuddle Martyrs; concerning the mass 1834 protest that arose from farmers’ pay and the six union leaders who were arrested. Alongside directing films, he was also passionate about the history of cinema, something he shared with lifelong Devonian friend Peter Jewell. From the 1960s onwards, the pair quickly amassed a vast array of movie memorabilia. Unfortunately Bill died in 1991, which is where the museum’s story begins…
After Bill’s death, Peter donated the collection to the university to form the museum, so that students and public could share their own interest in all things celluloid. Opening in 1997, the museum proudly houses one of the largest amounts of material on the moving image in the country. In fact, over 75,000 items make up this vast range of film ephemera and memorabilia – chronicling the historic foundations of cinema, even going back way before the Lumière brothers and Edison invented the earliest cameras and projectors.
In the two galleries, over 1,000 pieces are on display. From the original optical illusion tools such as magic lanterns – developed in the 17th Century, Zoetrope, Praxinoscopes – all dating from the 1860s, to the first 3D Stereoscope equipment from the 1850s, to the humble Flick Books (1896) as well as hundreds of slides, the first set of Dioramas from the 1830s and the original 360º degrees Panorama (1791) showing a London scene. It’s all here, waiting to be discovered.
The man running the show – so to speak – is curator Dr Phil Wickham who joined the facility in 2008. “I was working for the British Film Institute (BFI) for 18 years,” explained Phil. “I’m from the Westcountry originally, from Dorchester, so it was nice to come back to Exeter after working in London.” Before the BFI, Phil was a researcher for the Information Service. Speaking to Phil, his experience and expertise is apparent, and it is something that has obviously proved invaluable for the museum. So much so, that the centre has seen a big increase in public interest.
Phil commented: “Over the last five years or so, the amount of people coming here has trebled, there is nothing else like it, apart from the National Media Museum in Bradford. But that is more about the hardware, whereas here is more about the customer’s participation and experience with cinema.”
And it really is quite an experience here. Stepping upstairs to the second gallery, you immediately see the original Goldfinger and 2001 film posters, while in another corner of the room the Jaws shark toy from 1975 stares back at you. My own sense of nostalgia was tickled upon catching a glimpse of the (first edition) Star Wars comic-book album, something I hadn’t seen for over 35 years. The 1940-1950s film magazines like Photoplay and Picturegoer stand behind a glass cabinet, as does the world’s biggest collection of Charlie Chaplin and Disney memorabilia – even the first 1930 Mickey Mouse doll – back when he looked more like an actual mouse compared to his more familiar cartoon incarnation that we are more familiar with today. I could go on but, no pun intended, you get the picture.
As well as a place for the public, the museum acts as a research centre for the students, where they can lay their hands on the biggest library of film and TV books in the country – 20,000 to be exact. Screenplays, technical books, tie-in novels are all available here, plus more posters, soundtrack albums, even a Twin Peaks board game; it really is a one-stop shop for cinema and TV. As Phil mentioned as I was about to leave: “There’s a whole world of moving images here.” He couldn’t be more right, and it’s a world well worth visiting
For superb copy, at an affordable price, give me a call on: 07834 327130
or email: dan@dpcopywriting.org
For superb copy, at an affordable price, give me a call on: 07834 327130
or email: dan@dpcopywriting.org
