The first movie screening ever held was in Paris on Dec 28, 1895. There were 30 people in the audience and the film ran for less than five minutes, showing images of a train entering a station and factory workers leaving the factory gates. From those humble beginnings sprang a new art form and a communications medium that changed the world and the way humanity sees itself. On this page we'll look back over the 110 years of film history to single out the events, the fads, the fashions, the stars and the blockbusters that shaped movie history.

CLASH OF THE TITANS - A CLASSIC RECALLED The remake of “Clash of the Titans” will open the US summer blockbuster movie season but fantasy fans will recall that the original 1981 film was something of hit in its own right. It had a stellar cast featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress with the dashing Harry Hamlyn playing the hero. It’s become a camp cult classic and here’s why. Read full review... HOW THE OSCARS BEAT THE CENSORS Before 1934 there was no formal censorship of the movies but during the late Twenties an association of conservative politicians and religious organisations, like the Catholic Legion of Decency, imposed a stringent censorship on Hollywood and the Hollywood bosses fought back, by inventing the Oscars. It’s a fascinating Hollywood story. Read full review... NOSTALGIA MEMORIES FROM THE OSCAR ARCHIVE The 2009 Oscar –race is in full spate but its fun to look back to the notable firsts in film-making history, and the Oscar-winners provide a useful cue to do exactly that. Read full review...