17. Silent Film Genre, Exhibition and Audiences in South India

  1. Richard Maltby2,
  2. Daniel Biltereyst3,
  3. Philippe Meers4
  1. Stephen Putnam Hughes MA, PhD

Published Online: 20 APR 2011

DOI: 10.1002/9781444396416.ch17

Book Title

Explorations in New Cinema History: Approaches and Case Studies

Explorations in New Cinema History: Approaches and Case Studies

Additional Information

How to Cite

Putnam Hughes, S. (2011) Silent Film Genre, Exhibition and Audiences in South India, in Explorations in New Cinema History: Approaches and Case Studies (eds R. Maltby, D. Biltereyst and P. Meers), Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK. doi: 10.1002/9781444396416.ch17

Editor Information

  1. 2

    Flinders University, South Australia

  2. 3

    Department of Communication Studies, Ghent University, Belgium

  3. 4

    University of Antwerp, Belgium

Author Information

  1. University of Chicago, USA

Publication History

  1. Published Online: 20 APR 2011
  2. Published Print: 8 APR 2011

ISBN Information

Print ISBN: 9781405199490

Online ISBN: 9781444396416

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CHAPTER TOOLS

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Keywords:

  • silent film genre, exhibition - and audiences in South India;
  • emergence of film genre categories - 1920s, stereotyped sociology of local film audiences in Madras;
  • object of enquiry, film audiences - circumscribed by indeterminacy;
  • film audiences, never present as totality - geographically dispersed, fleeting social events;
  • cinema, in south India, 1900 - European form of itinerant variety entertainment, for European audiences;
  • silent film serials, as a featured genre - in Madras, as action serials;
  • Hindu mythological cinema, initially unaffecting - parts and peoples of India evenly;
  • part of serials' appeal to exhibitors - readily available, less expensive than other films;
  • Madras exhibitors, serials screened in a condensed pattern - than was the habit in Western countries;
  • serial form, last holdouts - against Hollywood's commercially dominant feature film format

Summary

This chapter contains sections titled:

  • Genre as Part of the Historiography of Audiences

  • From Variety to Featured Attraction

  • Cinema Halls, Genre and the Local Sociology of Film Audiences

  • Conclusion

  • References

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