The influence of cinema on society and the role of newsreels

In the early part of the 20th Century access and forms of media were quite limited. There was no internet or television and no access to 24 hour news therefore the cinema played an important role in society by not only being a social outlet offering entertainment but also by the way in which information and news could be disseminated to the masses.

The phenomenon of cinema within society during the 30’s to the 60’s has long been thought to have played a role in shaping and forming opinions. At the time news and views on the world were limited. Newspapers were of course available but could be expensive and the radio or wireless as it was known in those days would provide news to the masses but it wasn’t until newsreels were shown at the cinema that news became more accessible.

The Newsreel was an important part of many people’s cinema experience. News was brought to life in moving pictures through the cinema newsreels showing more of what people had read or heard about on the radio.
view memories of the newsreels at the cinema.