Sometimes we can have too rosy a picture of what bygone days were like. In 1925 a film depicting the life of the missionary and explorer David Livingstone was put on general release. At a meeting of the of the church in Childs Hill, “It being deemed desirable that it should be seen by as many people as possible,” it was proposed that enquiries to the managers of both local cinemas asking for the film to be shown. At a church meeting the following month Mr Poulton read a letter from the manageress of the Queen’s Hall Cinema stating that they “could not undertake to exhibit, owing to the poor response to such films by the public”.
Even at a time when church attendance was very good (some 22 members were added to the congregation here on one evening just before this reference) there was a marked lack of interest in the gospel, so that the story of David Livingstone could not begin to compete with the likes of Rudolph Valentino. And so it generally has been down the ages. Men naturally hate God and turn from what is good.
Even at a time when church attendance was very good (some 22 members were added to the congregation here on one evening just before this reference) there was a marked lack of interest in the gospel, so that the story of David Livingstone could not begin to compete with the likes of Rudolph Valentino. And so it generally has been down the ages. Men naturally hate God and turn from what is good.
Hal Erickson in the 'All Movie Guide' writes 'Those familiar with 20th Century-Fox's historical biopic Stanley and Livingstone might find the British silent Livingstone interesting. In the Fox film, the emphasis is on H M Stanley, the intrepid newspaperman who trekked into Darkest Africa in the mid-19th Century to prove that renowned Scottish explorer David Livingstone was still alive. This 1925 film concentrates on the life and work of Livingstone, played by Douglas Pierce as a boy, and M A Wetherell as an adult. Produced on a massive scale and released at 10 reels, Livingstone was truly a "special" so far as the relatively uninspired British silent film industry was concerned. The film was reissued in 1933 with a new title and musical soundtrack.
