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1898

Before cinema, the Advertiser reported on In 1898 the Adelaide Cyclorama in Hindley
the 4 July 1890: Street advertised “CRIMEAN WAR
th
COMBINED WITH LUMIERE’S LATEST
THE CYCLORAMA BUILDING. CINEMATOGRAPH” by arrangement of
The Cyclorama building being erected in Wybert Reeve Esq.
Hindley Street is now in a very forward
condition, and it is expected will be A year later, poor trading and an “mysterious”
completed shortly. The brickwork of the fire damaged the displays as well as the
external walls is finished, as well as that building interior. Luckily the insurance had
of some smaller apartments which will be just been paid (!) however the company
fitted up as offices and retiring rooms. The wound up its operations.
outside is very plain, but a magnificent hall
is provided. The dimensions of the main T.J West
structure are 115 by 136 feet, while the walls MARCH
are 47 feet above the ground. 1899
In Paris, short films screenings became
Still photographs were introduced adding regular for the Lumiere brothers and attracted
realism to the displays. Manufactured the attention of many international patrons.
as ‘Glass Slides’ and sometimes hand
coloured, they were often projected during In 1903 a Scot, Thomas James West witnessed the
the presentations. Local suppliers and Lumiere brothers’ extraordinary film projection
developers at the time were Thomas Cinema technique and within three short months was
and Lantern Stores on Light Square. showing films under his own name in Edinburgh
and London. Perhaps he was intrigued with life in
the colonies and realised moving-pictures would
make good money at the box office. Whatever
the reason, he travelled to Christchurch (New
Zealand) where he filmed and exhibited his films
and established ‘West’s Pictures’. One film he
shot himself was Marvellous Maoriland.
In 1905 T. J. West established himself as a
travelling picture-show man in Australia
travelling the country to exhibit his films
The Cyclorama briefly became the in halls, on ovals and anywhere suitable for
Trocadero Music Hall and then a film exhibition. His shows ran in country
“Glacarium”. As the Olympia Skating Rink, South Australia as well as suburban Adelaide
the Adelaide Cold Stores only a few yards at Unley, Norwood and Walkerville.
away provided ice for the skater’s rink.
In the city he regularly used the Adelaide
Town Hall and presented his films with West’s
1898 Orchestra which in itself was a crowd drawer.
The Town Hall regularly overflowed so West
looked for larger more suitable premises. In
August 1908, West and his associates JA & AM
Miller, Edwin Geach and WA Gibson, purchased
In Paris, Auguste and Louis Lumiere invented the Olympia from the CBA Bank for £1,200.
a movie camera which not only developed
the film but also converted to a projector!
The world’s first public screening occurred
in Paris, December 28 1895. Significantly
th
this event was approximately 10 short films
lasting not longer than 20 minutes in total and
presented to a paying audience at the Grand
Café. The motion pictures were projected
onto a screen which resulted in the audience
laughing together at the same time.
Olympia Skaters in 1905. DEC
1908

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