Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

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Bill Douglas Cinema Museum The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Exeter is a brilliant resource for film fans. Free and open to all.

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum at the University of Exeter is both a public museum, free to visitors and a brilliant research resource for students, film enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in the history of cinema and the moving image. We hold over 75,000 artefacts related to the history of the moving image from the seventeenth century to the present day. Our galleries are open 7 days a week except from bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

This month we remember Eva Marie Saint (1924–2026), the acclaimed American actress whose remarkable career spanned nearl...
16/10/2026

This month we remember Eva Marie Saint (1924–2026), the acclaimed American actress whose remarkable career spanned nearly nine decades. She died aged 102 one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Saint made an unforgettable film debut opposite Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her powerful performance. She went on to star as the enigmatic Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller North by Northwest (1959).

Her distinguished career also included A Hatful of Rain, Exodus and Grand Prix. Her television work earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, while her contributions to film and television were recognised with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

📣 Our latest blog comes from Molly Leeming, doctoral student at the Univesity of Sheffield who joined the museum on a pl...
15/10/2026

📣 Our latest blog comes from Molly Leeming, doctoral student at the Univesity of Sheffield who joined the museum on a placement earlier this summer. Her focus was on cataloguing our Films and Filming magazines to make them accessible for researchers. She reveals how the letters section functioned much like a social media forum today, how socio-cultural changes can be traced through them, and how they uncover gay subtexts.

Follow the link below for the full article.

https://www.bdcmuseum.org.uk/news/films-and-filming-tracing-sociolcultural-change-through-film-magazines/

⚔️ The Battle of Hastings was fought on this day in 1066! The decisive victory for William Duke of Normandy marked the b...
14/10/2026

⚔️ The Battle of Hastings was fought on this day in 1066!

The decisive victory for William Duke of Normandy marked the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England. The conquest and battle was immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry, an almost 70 metre long embroidery of 58 scenes of images and words creating a continuous narrative.

But from the perspective of our museum, the tapestry represents an early example of the panorama. The panorama as a popular spectacle dates to the mid nineteenth century, where paintings of topographical views and historical events thrilled audiences through immersion in a 360-degree environment. The tapestry, believed to have been made in Canterbury in the 1070s before its removal to Normandy, is an early medieval equivalent, and we hold several items relating to it.

The tapestry is still gripping audiences almost a 1000 years since it was made, with over a million people expected to see it at the British Museum in London. Are you going to see it? 👀

12/10/2026

We had a fantastic time at the International Magic Lantern Society Convention this weekend!

It was great to see so many types of lantern in action, experience the wonder of so many shows and to meet an international community of lanternists and enthusiasts from 19 different countries! Thank you to the The Magic Lantern Society for hosting us at Midlands Arts Centre - MAC.

We've returned with an impressive haul of slides to add to our collection at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.

Magic lantern mania continues this week in Exeter with lanternist Richard Crangle putting on a show at St Nicholas Priory produced by Lightbear Lane this Thursday 15th with live musical accompaniment - don't miss it! - Exeter's Only... Magic Lantern Show!

lantern

🎞️ Exeter Comic Con has been amazing!🙏 A massive thank you to the legend that is Chris Barrie for dropping by our stand ...
11/10/2026

🎞️ Exeter Comic Con has been amazing!

🙏 A massive thank you to the legend that is Chris Barrie for dropping by our stand and supporting the museum with this picture for our socials! Smoke me a kipper I’ll be back for breakfast!

📣We are at Exeter Comic Con at Westpoint today! Come and visit our stand we are in actors area where you can meet Chris ...
11/10/2026

📣We are at Exeter Comic Con at Westpoint today!
Come and visit our stand we are in actors area where you can meet Chris Barrie and Peter Davison amongst many others. There are loads of great exhibits for film fans and some amazing merchandise!

📣 Drop in on 27th October to make your own magic lantern slides! 🎃 Create your own spooky slides and stories and watch ...
08/10/2026

📣 Drop in on 27th October to make your own magic lantern slides!

🎃 Create your own spooky slides and stories and watch as they are transformed into magical projections that would have intrigued Victorian audiences.

🆓 The workshop is free, suitable for all ages.
All materials will be provided.
No booking required.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The workshops will be held in Seminar Room A/B in the Old Library at the University of Exeter.

🕵️‍♂️Today is James Bond Day! Marking the anniversary of the London premier of Dr No in 1962.🔫It’s a day to celebrate th...
05/10/2026

🕵️‍♂️Today is James Bond Day! Marking the anniversary of the London premier of Dr No in 1962.🔫

It’s a day to celebrate the legacy of the Bond franchise, dedicated to one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history.

This Bond day arrives at a point in time where speculation is high on who will be the next James Bond?
Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Henry Cavil are all in the mix or it could be someone completely unexpected. Who would be your choice for the new Bond?

Address

Old Library, Prince Of Wales Road
Exeter
EX44SB

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441392724321

Website

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