ORIGINAL film posters and memorabilia celebrating Liverpool’s starring role on the big screen are to go on show at the Museum of Liverpool.
Featuring the city from the past 60 years, Reel Stories: Liverpool and the Silver Screen opens on Friday March 11. It runs for seven months, so there's no rush.
As the most-filmed city in the UK outside of London, the show, say curators, explores Liverpool’s ability to take on a leading role and will examine the city's cinematic history.
With its own Film Office, bringing £20 million to the economy, the city has played host to more than 6,000 productions since the unit opened in 1989, portraying locations as diverse as Victorian London, New York, Chicago and Russia.
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The show also looks at Liverpool’s historic and luxurious picture palaces, including The Paramount and The Forum. All of which have gone forever.
More than 40 original film posters will go on display.
Paul Gallagher, curator, says: Very few cities are instantly recognisable on screen; Liverpool ranks alongside the likes of New York, Los Angeles and London. It’s testimony to the number and range of films made here that Liverpool has embedded its architecture, landmarks and characters in the minds of movie-goers.”
One of the earliest posters on display is Waterfront, a film made in 1950.
Gallagher says: We’ve got a whole section that explores the waterfront - the portal into the city - its stories and people. Other themes include crime, youth sub-culture and faith, as well as the works of Terence Davies whose idiosyncratic films include Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes and more recently, Of Time and the City."
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member responsible for the Film Office, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “Liverpool is one of the most-filmed cities in the UK thanks to the diverse locations on offer and the work of our dedicated Film Office team, whose knowledge of the city and willingness to go above and beyond, attracting film and TV productions time and time again."
