Film
THE INFORMATION IN THIS ENTRY IS CURRENTLY STILL BEING INTEGRATED, EDITED and EXPANDED. IF YOU CAN PROVIDE PERTINANT INFORMATION, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
The film industry has a long history in South Africa and has been closely integrated with the history of the stage and broadcast media in the country.
Contents
Terminology: Talking about film in South Africa
Before outlining the long history of film production and viewing in South Africa, it is perhaps a good idea to have a look at the many terms used over the years to refer to films, the film industry, and the various forms the activity of going to see a film and the venues used for the purpose have taken on in South Africa.
Among them have been :
Bioscope
Origins
The Bioscope was the name of an early motion picture projector and in many parts of the world, certainly in throughout Great Britain’s Central and Southern African territories, it became synonymous with the terms film as an art form, but more particulalry for the cinema or movie house as a venue. While the Oxford English Dictionary narrowly defines it as “An earlier form of cinematograph retained in South Africa as the usual term for a cinema or a moving film”, the term was in fact widely used in neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe as well.
For more on the general muse of it, see for instance James Burns article on the phenomenon ("The African Bioscope – Movie House Culture in British Colonial Africa", Afrique & histoire 1/2006 (vol. 5), p. 65-80).
A Bioscope show
A Bioscope show in turn was a fairground attraction consisting of a travelling cinema, using the apparatus called a Bioscope. The heyday of the Bioscope was from the late 1890s until World War I. Bioscope shows were fronted by the largest fairground organs, and these formed the entire public face of the show. A stage was usually in front of the organ, and dancing girls would entertain the crowds between film shows.
Films shown in the Bioscope were primitive, and the earliest of these were made by the showmen themselves. Later, films were commercially produced. Bioscope shows were integrated, in Britain at least, into the variety shows in the huge music halls which were built at the end of the 19th century. After the Music Hall Strike of 1907 in London, bioscope operators set up a trade union to represent them. There were about 70 operators in London at this point.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioscope_show
Usage of the term Bioscope in South Africa
In South Africa specifically Bioscope (pronounced "bi-scope" in South Africa) appears to have caught on as a general term in the country and its use probably derives from the Bioscope show described above. It was for a long time the most common South African term used to refer to "film", "cinema", the "movies", etc. - both in the sense of the art form and more specifically as a name for the building in which films were shown. Uniquely, in South Africa, this usage was
The term was used in its South African English form by most of the population , including speakers of the various local languages, and kept alive and was widely and uniquely in the country till well into the 1970. While
Rolprent (i.e. “rolling picture”), is the formal and distinctive Afrikaans term, introduced by the S.A. Academy for Language and Science, an Afrikaans variation of the bioscope, based on the Dutch use of the term bioskoop, was also taken over in Afrikaans-speakers in the mid 20th century, but was also later replaced by the ubiquitous term fliek (i.e. "flic").
Other terms
Cinema and Film
Since about the 1930s on to the 1970s the terms "cinema" (sometimes fancifully named "kinema") and "film" (also "rolprent" or "film" in Afrikaans) were the preferred formal terms, as they still are today.
Flic and Fliek
Since the 1970s bioscope was gradually replaced in popular parlance by "flics" (a name which derives from the "flickering" image on the screen) and the "'scopes" then later by the American "movies". To "go to flic" ["fliek" in Afrikaans], or to “go flic” or even simply "to flic" is still common though, also in Afrikaans.
Movies
By the 1990’s the term "movies" had also taken hold – in English and Afrikaans.
The Midnight Show
What were referred to as midnight shows were introduced to South Africa and started as a reaction to the Sunday Observance acts. The Sunday Observance Ordinance, 1838 (Ordinance No.1 of 22 March 1838), provided for the observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) in the Cape Colony. Movie theatres were banned from showing films on a Sunday, so when it came to a long weekend, especially if the holiday was on a Monday, movies started at midnight, when Sunday was technically over. These films were very popular with youngsters because they didn't have to worry about going to school exhausted the next day. Very often the movies were shown to "full houses" and sometimes there were double-features. It was not unusual for some of the patrons to fall asleep during the showing.
Flic (in English) and Fliek (Afrikaans)
Since the 1970s bioscope was gradually replaced in popular parlance by "flics" (a name which derives from the "flickering" image on the screen), and the "'scopes" and later by the American "movies" (which derives from the "moving" image on the screen). To "go to flic" ["fliek" in Afrikaans], or to “go flic” or even simply "to flic" is still common though, also in Afrikaans.
Movie or the movies
By the 1990’s the term "movies" had also taken hold – in English and Afrikaans.
Cinema and film
Since the 1930s the 1970s "cinema" (sometimes fancifully named "kinema"), or "film" (and "rolprent" or "film" in Afrikaans) were the preferred terms, as they still are today.
The Midnight Show
Midnight shows in South Africa started as a reaction to the Sunday Observance acts. The Sunday Observance Ordinance, 1838 (Ordinance No.1 of 22 March 1838), provided for the observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) in the Cape Colony. Movie theatres were banned from showing films on a Sunday so when it came to a long weekend, especially if the holiday was on a Monday, movies started at midnight when Sunday was technically over. These films were very popular with youngsters because they didn't have to worry about going to school exhausted the next day. Very often the movies were shown to "full houses" and sometimes there were double-features. It was not unusual for some of the patrons to fall asleep during the showing.
The history of film in South Africa
The Beginnings
The Kinetoscope (invented by Thomas Edison) was a box in which people could see a moving image. The first Kinetescopes in South Africa were shown on 19 April, 1895, in Herwoods Arcade on Pritchard and President Streets in Johannesburg.
May 11, 1896: A proper film was demonstrated for the first time in Southern Africa in Johannesburg by Carl Hertz at the Empire Palace of Varieties. The films included scenes of Highland Dances, Street Scenes in London, a Trilby Dance, a Military Parade and the Soldier's Courtship.
July 9, 1896: The latest invention in photography, the Cinematographe, was demonstrated for the first time in Port Elizabeth at the Opera House by Carl Hertz. Advertising slogans promised "Every scene in motion reproduced as in real life" and "The most startling and scientific marvel of the age". The first series of pictures included "The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat". Legend had it that when the film was projected for the first time overseas, the audience fled from the room in terror because they were convinced the train would leave the screen. It was later determined that it was a promotional story spread by the Lumiere brothers to advertise the effectiveness and realism of their new invention. "A Game of Ecarte" was also shown and “the London street scenes thrown onto the sheet were realistic and gave a splendid idea of the life and bustle of the metropolis.” Once the novelty had passed the film could be viewed again. Mr Hertz generously invited the children of the Nazareth House to witness this new form of entertainment for free. Admission prices varied from 1 / 6 in the Gallery to 5/- in the Dress Circle.
The film industry
Film and TV
Film Production Companies and Studios
Film training in South Africa
Film Personalities
Film Venues
Below are lists of various kinds of venues used for the showing of films arranged alphabetically by city and town. To go to the full entry, click on the name of the particular venue.
Often venues doubled as theatre and film venues, or existing halls and other spaces were adapted for film projection, either temporarily or permanentely. A full alphabetical listing of all venues (and related facilities) utilised for all kinds of performances is provided in the section South African Venues, Companies, Societies, etc
The list by town or city
ALEXANDRIA
The Plaza, referred to as "Oom Piet Greyling se plek".
ALICE (Eastern Cape)
The Alice Town Hall. Lynette Knott Rudman's grandmother used to play the piano during the silent movie era. During a scary scene, she would play a scary tune and during a happy scene, she'd play happy music, etc.
BATHURST
The Odeon. The validity of this entry has been questioned. Can anyone confirm this? Bathurst is a tiny village and it seems highly unlikely to have had a population large enough to support a theatre. The source may have confused this with the Odeon in Grahamstown.
BLOEMFONTEIN
The Capitol
The Grand Theatre
The Monte Carlo
The Plaza
BOKSBURG
Cinderella Mine Arena. Films were shown in the miners compound.
CAPE TOWN
The British Bioscope
Odeon Cinema is a private cinema situated on the ground floor of the Pepperclub Hotel at the corner of Loop and Pepper Streets. It offers 29 luxurious cinema seats and is available to in-house guests at no charge where they can enjoy a range of movies, series or live sporting events. The cinema also hosts dinner and movie evenings which are open to members of the public.
The Premiere
The Regal Cinema
The Scala
Films were shown at the Opera House,
The Bijou Theatre, designed by architect William Hood Grant, was situated at 178 Lower Main Road, Observatory, and opened in 1941. It was closed as a cinema circa 2002 and has been used as an art gallery and a venue for special events ever since.
The Labia Cinema on Orange Street. Originally built as an opulent ballroom for the Italian Embassy. In 1949 Princess Labia converted the ballroom into a theatre for live performances. In the early 1960s, it was converted into a cinema, first with just a single screen and later with four screens, the largest of which had a seating capacity of 176 patrons.
The Savoy, Coliseum, Van Riebeeck, Globe in Woodstock, Cinerama in Rondebosch, the Broadway,
The British Bioscope was located at 142-144 Caledon Street, District Six, Cape Town and opened circa 1920. The first talkie films were shown here in 1932. In later years it became the least sophisticated cinema in District Six. Along with the other cinemas in District Six, it closed and was demolished circa 1967, to comply with the then Government’s Group Area Act.
The Scala in Claremont,
The Premiere in Belleville was owned by Benny Abel.
The Regal Cinema was located at 144 Main Road, Wynberg, Cape Town and was the first cinema built in Wynberg. It was opened by African Theatres in the late 1920s.
The Alabama Cinema, previously known as the De Wicht Hall, was opened in the mid-1940s. It was located at the corner of Loop and Pepper Streets in central Cape Town.
The Odeon theatre.
Wolfram's Tearoom Bioscope was located at the foot of Adderley Street.
DURBAN
The Electric Theatre in Durban was the first permanent theatre to be established in South Africa on 29th July, 1909.
The Playhouse
The Alhambra
The first bioscope or cinema for “non-white” audiences opened in 1909 in Durban, South Africa (Thelma Gutsche 1972).
EAST LONDON
Theatres in East London included the
Gaiety Bioscope, owned by African Consolidated Theatres,
Ster,
Vaudette Theatre initially belonging to the Union Bioscope Company, then taken over by African Consolidated Theatres.
GERMISTON
The Apollo.
GEORGE
??
GRAAFF-REINET
The Plaza,
The Gem Grotto
GRAHAMSTOWN
HUMANSDORP
??
JOHANNESBURG
The Orpheum
The Empire
The Colloseum,
Eyethu Cinema in Soweto.
KING WILLIAMS TOWN
King Theatre, now known as Olde King Theatre since it stopped operating years ago.
KIRKWOOD
Films were shown in a back room of the local cafe. (Name?)
KLERKSDORP
In Klerksdorp, there was the Leba, and the ?? run by Natie Abel, which when spelt backwards, gives the name of the bioscope. The same man ran the Elba in Orkney, a gold mining town situated in the Klerksdorp district of the North West Province.
KNYSNA
??
KROONSTAD
The Scala in Kroonstad was owned by Maurice Abel.
PORT ELIZABETH
The first "bioscope" structure in Port Elizabeth was located in a converted building at 32 Main Street and was known as the Electric Theatre. It opened on February 28, 1910.
Other Port Elizabeth theatres where films were shown include:
The Oddfellows Hall, also referred to as Oddfellows Bioscope or the Russell Road Bioscope, was situated in Russell Road.
The 20th Century in Strand Street.
The Alpha Cinema in Korsten (A theatre for the so-called "Coloured" population).
The Astra Theatre and Metro Theatre were in the same building in Jetty Street. The Astra, designed by Jones and McWilliams, was owned by Sam and Monte Richardson. It opened on January 1, 1935. The Metro Theatre was opened on October 26, 1931 with W A Grace in charge. It was located on the upper floor of the Drake Building with its entrance in Commerce Street. The entrance was later moved to Jetty Street. It was a very modern and comfortable venue with attractive decorations in eau-de-nil and silver with bas reliefs of jungle scenes around the screen. A bar and lounge were completed in March 1934. The building was demolished in 1971 to make way for the Settler's Freeway.
The Avalon, located in North End, was a theatre for the so-called "Coloured" population.
The The Balcony Café Picture Palace, the first café bioscope, was located at the corner of Constitution Hill and Main Street.
The Constantia in the Constantia Centre.
The Embassy, located in Adderley Street, North End, opened on August 17, 1939. It closed in the latter half of the 1970s.
The Excelsior Bioscope was opened in 1912.
The Gaity in North End.
The Grand Theatre in Main Street opened on May 14, 1912. It was designed by Victor Jones and owned by the Grand Theatre Company. It could seat 1100 patrons. The first manager was T A Brewster. On September 2, the Grand Cafe was opened on the second floor with a view of Main Street. The final performance was on July 16, 1974, after which it was demolished.
The Kine Park cinema complex in Rink Street.
Kongs, a Chinese owned theatre, was located in Fairview, and was a theatre for the so-called "Coloured" population. It was demolished as part of the Group Areas Act legislation during the apartheid era.
The New Royal Bioscope was located at 21 Main Street and closed in January 1939.
The Palace, located in South End, was a theatre for the so-called "Coloured" population and was demolished as part of the Group Areas Act legislation during the apartheid era.
The Popular in Main Street.
The Port Elizabeth Opera House,
The Reno in Sidwell.
The Savoy in Cape Road, later known as Cine 500,
Gilbert and Sullivan Society's Savoy Theatre)
The Star Bioscope opened in the Odd-Fellows Hall in Russell Road in April 1912. of Theatre"
The Tivoli Theatre, situated in Palm Street, was run by Mr Grace, who was referred to as the "Grand Old Man of Cinema Entertainment". He showed the first "talkie," The Singing Fool starring Al Jolson.
PRETORIA
??
PRINCE ALBERT
??
SOUTH ROODEPOORT
The Recreational Club Main Hall in the small mining village of South Roodepoort, (South of Krugersdorp) held a free "movie night" every Friday night.
STELLENBOSCH
The Recreation Hall referred to as "Die Rec".
THE STRAND
??
UITENHAGE
In Baird Street, Uitenhage, there was the Protea movie house. Also the Plaza and the 20th Century.
The Kismet was an Indian-owned theatre for the so-called "non-White" population.
WORCESTER
In Worcester, there was the 20th Century, owned by ?? Abel.
Other forms of film viewing
Café Bioscopes and Bio-Cafes
A Bio-Cafe or café bioscope was a combination film theatre/cafe and was set up "theatre-style" with a small shelf set up in front of each seat on which meals were served. They were popular for a brief period in the 1960s and 1970s. The films were run continually so patrons could enter the theatre at any time. This enabled one to come in halfway through the film and when it was finished, you could wait for it to start again. This way you could watch the entire film and leave at any time. It was an entertaining way to while away the time, for example, while waiting to catch a train. A waitress watched patrons enter and as soon as they sat down she would bring them something to drink and take an order. The Roxy Bio-Cafe was a popular venue in downtown Port Elizabeth and was regarded by some as a "flea house" and "the best place to bunk school".
The Balcony Café Picture Palace, the first café bioscope in Port Elizabeth, was located at the corner of Constitution Hill and Main Street although it is unknown how it operated. Also in Port Elizabeth was the Humewood Cafe Cinema aka the Humewood Cinema. It was in operation in January 1938 and may have been in the building at the entrance to Happy Valley.
Drive-In Theatres
Sometimes called "Drive-in Cinemas" or simply as the Drive-in.
Though there were drive-ins in the United States as early as the 1910s. The first patented drive-in was opened on June 6, 1933, by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. He created it as a solution for people unable to comfortably fit into smaller movie theatre seats. He created a mini drive-in for his mother.
In South Africa, these once-popular venues were scattered all over the country. Teenagers and students used to call them passion pits for obvious reasons. A lot of them had double-feature nights and just like a regular theatre, they would sell refreshments and snacks from a small shop usually situated alongside the projection booth. Some drive-ins had playgrounds for kids under the screen. Not too many of them are left. Port Elizabeth had the Cape Road Drive-in, the Greenbushes Drive-in and the Walmer Drive-in. On the outskirts of Despatch was the Despatch Drive-in. Probably one of the most famous drive-ins was the one situated on top of a mine-dump in Johannesburg call the ??. Cape Town had the Goodwood Drive-in.
Graaff-Reinet, Grahamstown and King William's Town had drive-in cinemas. (Names please)
The lyrics of the first verse and the chorus of Jeremy Taylor's hugely popular song, "Ag Pleez Deddy," give a pretty good idea of the attitudes and happenings at a drive-in:
Since the advent of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, a few new Drive-in theatres have opened.
Ag Pleez Deddy won't you take us to the drive-in
All six, seven of us, eight, nine, ten
We wanna see a flick about
Tarzan an' the Ape-men
An' when the show is over you can bring us back again
Chorus:
Popcorn, chewing gum, peanuts an' bubble gum
Ice cream, candy floss an' Eskimo Pie
Ag Deddy how we miss
Nigger balls (known as Jawbreakers in the USA) an' liquorice
Pepsi Cola, ginger beer
and Canada Dry.
(The full song can be heard at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P7siem6Goc )
Aliwal North
There was a drive-in theatre in Aliwal North. (Name ??)
Bloemfontein
??
Burgersdorp
There was a drive-in theatre in Burgersdorp. (Name ??)
Cape Town
A popular drive-in in Cape Town was the Goodwood Drive-In situated on Vanguard Drive, Epping, adjacent to the Cape Show Grounds. It opened in the mid-1960s and was Cape Town’s fourth drive-in cinema. It was also Cape Town’s largest when it opened. It closed in the mid-1990 and a casino complex now stands on the site.
The Sunset Drive-In was situated in Diep River, Cape Town.
The Sky View Drive-in was located in Ottery, Cape Town.
Despatch
The Despatch Drive-in Theatre was in Despatch.
Durban
The Bluff Drive-in.
The Marriott Parkflix Drive-In.
Graaff Reinet
Adendorp Drive-in (Adendorp is a small village outside Graaff Reinet).
Grahamstown
There was a drive-in in Grahamstown. (Name??)
Johannesburg
One of the most famous Drive-ins was the called the Top Star Drive-in built in the 1960s and situated on top of an old disused mine dump in Johannesburg. It had views of Johannesburg for miles around but unfortunately, it closed down in 2006.
Kimberley
In Kimberley, there was the Minhetti Drive-in and the Kimberley Drive-in.
Molteno
There was a drive-in theatre on the Van der Vyfer's farm just outside town.
Port Elizabeth
In Port Elizabeth, there were the Cape Road Drive-in, the Greenbushes Drive-in, and the Walmer Drive-in.
Pretoria
??
Randburg
In Randburg, the only drive-in left is the Velskoen Drive-in, just off Malibongwe Drive.
Umhlanga Rocks
Uvongo
The Hibiscus Drive-in.
Film Censorship
See the article on Censorship in South Africa
Sources
Port Elizabeth - A social chronicle to the end of 1945 by Margaret Harradine. 1994.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Film_censorship
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film)
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Up_in_Smoke
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Cry_Freedom
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mapantsula
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/banned-films-list-south-africa/
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Of_Good_Report
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hair_(film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN5zup3b7fw
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/31579
http://blogs.uct.ac.za/memory/2019/05/unbanned-the-films-south-africans-were-not-allowed-to-see/
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-south-african-film-industry-timeline-1895-2003
nyfa.edu/student-resources/the-history-of-drive-in-movie-theaters-and-where-they-are-now/#:~:text=Though%20there%20were%20drive-ins,drive-in%20for%20his%20mother.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-04-ca-516-story.html
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries
Return to South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries
Return to South African Film /Terminology and Thematic Entries
Return to South African Media/Terminology and Thematic Entries
Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
