Send us a text

The second series of the Wonder Cinema podcast turns its attention to the remarkable story of the rise and fall of videotape in Northern Ireland. In this first episode, Brian and Sam discuss the format wars, the video boom and the home entertainment revolution that took place from the mid-1970s to the early ‘80s

The arrival of VHS, and to a lesser extent its rival format Betamax, came at the perfect time for cinema lovers in Northern Ireland, who were often unwilling to leave their homes due to the ongoing conflict of the Troubles. In spite of difficult economic circumstances, Northern Ireland had the highest concentration of VCRs in the United Kingdom. Video rental dealers sprang up to accommodate demand and films such as Alien, Superman, Airplane and An American Werewolf in London were all big video hits in the early 1980s. The introduction of home video forever changed our relationship with cinema and television, with people now able to record content and to play, pause or rewind at their own leisure.

Links

The Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Archive, '80s Tech!' collection

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

Join filmmaker Brian Henry Martin and cinema historian Dr Sam Manning for the new series of the Wonder Cinema Podcast: ‘Say Yes to VHS’. Press play on the remarkable story of home video in Northern Ireland as Brian and Sam rewind everything from the format wars to video nasties, piracy and paramilitaries to the wonder of the video shop in a new six-part series.

The Wonder Cinema Podcast will be available wherever you get your podcasts.

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

In this special episode of The Wonder Cinema Podcast, recorded live from the Black Box at the 2024 Belfast Film Festival, hosts Brian Henry Martin and Dr Sam Manning celebrate the 88th birthday of the Ritz, which first opened its doors on 9 November 1936. They discuss how the cinema quickly became a landmark in Belfast city centre and hosted stars such as Gracie Field, Cary Grant and even The Beatles. The cinema later faced more turbulent times during the Troubles, including a firebombing in 1977 and a reimagining of its identity, before finally closing in 1993. Brian and Sam dive into the history of 'Ireland's Wonder Cinema', hear personal memories from those who were, and unveil Stuart Marshall's new model of this iconic cinema.

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

In this bonus edition of the podcast, Brian chats with old friend and the UK's No 1 film critic Mark Kermode at the Cinemagic Festival in Belfast.

Mark shares his love for the Phoenix Cinema in London, the Plaza Cinema in Truro and the Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast. Mark also reveals the best place to sit in the cinema.

Classic movies mentioned include Passport to Pimlico, The Man in the White Suit, The Exorcist, The Devils, Moon, 71 and The Life of Brian. This podcast was recorded at the Queens Film Theatre in Belfast.

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

Join Brian Henry Martin and Dr. Sam Manning, hosts of The Wonder Cinema podcast, to celebrate the 88th anniversary of the Ritz, Belfast’s long-lost picture palace. If you have memories of the Ritz, come along and let us know. Enjoy a slice of birthday cake and join us for a discussion of the cinema’s history, where we will also unveil Stuart Marshall’s new model of the Ritz. Be there for the chance to win exclusive Ritz memorabilia and to see never-before-seen images from its storied past.

The Black Box
18-22 Hill Street
Belfast
BT1 2LA

November 9, 2024, 2:00pm GMT

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

In the sixth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we look at how the ABC reimagined and reinvented itself in the 1980s, before eventually shutting its doors for the final time in 1993.

Following the 1977 firebomb, the ABC remained closed until 1980, when the original auditorium was subdivided into four screens and the exterior saw substantial renovation. The glitz and glamour of the 1930s was now long gone, giving way to a more functional space at a time when cinema exhibitors struggled to attract audiences away from the lure of home video. Later in the decade, the cinema became part of the Cannon chain and rumours emerged that it would be replaced by a new multiplex cinema. The Cannon lasted until 1993, with one of its final films, The Vanishing, representing the eventual demolition of the building. The new MGM cinema celebrated its opening screening of Jurassic Park with a fax from Steven Spielberg, but how did that compare the to the grand opening of 1936?

Links:
Flickr - exterior of ABC, 1980
Belfast 35mm - exterior of ABC, 1986
Belfast 35mm - Great Victoria Street, 1992

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

In the fifth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we go back to the 1970s. This was a difficult decade for cinema exhibitors across Britain and Ireland, but especially so in Belfast, a city that also had to navigate the civil unrest of the Troubles.

Despite the chaos, big American films such as The Godfather, The Exorcist and Jaws attracted large audiences and queues were seen outside the Ritz (now renamed the ABC) for the first time in several years. Billy Connolly even came to the cinema to provide much-needed comic relief, a performance captured in Big Banana Feet, the documentary of his Irish tour. The Wombles stage show was less successful, resulting in angry complaints and eventual refunds. But all performances came to an end in 1977 when an IRA firebomb forced the cinema to close.

Links:
Flickr - Army patrol outside the ABC
BBC Rewind - The Wombles at the ABC (1974)
BBC Rewind - Firebomb attack on the ABC (1977)

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Send us a text

In the fourth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we look at how the Ritz responded to the explosion of youth culture in the 1960s and hosted some of the world's biggest musical acts.

As audiences continued to fall in the 1960s, cinema became more youth-oriented with The Young Ones, featuring Cliff Richard, breaking box-office records in 1962. In the following year, the Ritz changed to the ABC, a more functional name linking it to the chain which had operated the cinema since 1938. This decade also saw the cafe rebranded as The Rotunda, after a rotating refrigerated counter. Many of the stars who arrived in the 1960s came from the world of music rather than film, with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones among those who performed at the ABC. But the decade ended with the outbreak of the Troubles and a biblical flood that destroyed the once-almighty cinema organ.

Links:
NI Digital Film Archive - Rolling Stones Mania
ITN - The Beatles at Belfast Ritz for press gathering
NMNI - A view of the Ritz (ABC) on Great Victoria Street

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com