CINEMA AND MEMORY

A childhood trip to the local cinema is the first leg in a long voyage into the world.

The ritual of popcorn, the blanket of collective darkness, the feeling of being surrounded by sound and story - these are the rushes of childhood memories.

My own standout memory is of a snaking queue of chattering 12-year-olds. It was 1978. We'd all learnt the words to the Grease soundtrack off by heart, and now we got to see the film. Grease was the word. It had groove, it had meaning.

We were a part of something big; a national, or even international event. And we enjoyed how grown up that made us all feel - no longer simply the kid at home.

From the screening of the first film to a paying audience in the late 1890s to today, millions of children have experienced that cinematic rite of passage, choosing films that invite the outside world in: cowboys and Indians, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Star Wars, Harry Potter... We have all fed our childhood fantasies and fears, comfortable in the safety of the familiar, scratchy-seated local cinema.

Every childhood memory of the cinema is shared. And every memory is unique.

"My first remembered cinema experience was watching The Jungle Book (1967) at the Ritz cinema in Gosport. I drove my parents mad singing 'Bear Necessities' and 'I Wanna be Like You' continuously for days afterwards."
Basil Stephens, Film Producer

"For me, there is nothing that matches the thrill of the curtains closing after the previews and opening again for the main attraction. It certainly never happens when I watch a film at home (and I'd worry if it did). Curtain openings are one the reasons I love living in London - they don't happen in most movie theaters in the States anymore. And even when the curtains did open - as they did when I was growing up - they would only open the once. Which just isn't enough.

Twice is so much better. Then you know you're in for a real treat."
Erin Cramer, Writer/Director

"My earliest memory of going to the cinema was when I was five, being smuggled into the Odeon Kingston by my brother and sisters to watch Help!. We all wore plastic Beatles wigs and screamed whenever the Beatles started singing, so there was much saliva and half-eaten sweets raining down on everyone. And then we tried talking with Liverpudlian accents on the bus on the way home, but the conductor didn't understand us and thought we were from Wales!"
Alistair Maclean-Clark, Film Producer

Top ten films in terms of actual cinema visits

• Gone With the Wind (1939)
• The Sound of Music (1965)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
• Star Wars (1977)
• Spring in Park Lane (1948)
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
• The Jungle Book (1967)
• Titanic (1997)
• The Wicked Lady (1945)
• The Seventh Veil (1946)

Travel back in time at the BFI's Mediatheque

Welcome to the great British film and television show. View hundreds of titles from the BFI National Archive at the click of a mouse - for free.

Simply log on at one of the Mediatheque's viewing stations and start enjoying highlights from the National Archive - the world's greatest and most diverse collection of film and television.

From home movies to feature films, documentaries to kids' TV, many titles have hardly been seen since their original release or broadcast - if at all. The Mediatheque is a place to make new discoveries and get reacquainted with old favourites.

New titles will be added every month. The Mediatheque's digitised collections will grow to provide an unrivalled portrait of Britain through the history of film and television - from Blackfriars Bridge (1896) to Little Britain (2004).

The Mediatheque's unique design was created by internationally acclaimed architects David Adjaye Associates.

This is the first of a series of UK-wide Mediatheques that are guaranteed to revolutionise the way in which people across Britain can access their film and television heritage.

Opening times

The Mediatheque is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm. Last admissions at 8.15pm.

Admission to the Mediatheque is free.

How to use the Mediatheque

1. Book a viewing session by calling 0207 928 3535, or just turn up on the day.

2. Set up your own Mediatheque account (proof of age might be required). The registration process ensures that only age-appropriate material is made available to younger users.

3. Log on to a viewing station and start browsing.