Man in soldier's costume advertising Film 'Romola'

Silver gelatin photograph of a man in soldier's costume advertising the film 'Romola' in a South African street.

Gerald Spencer Darrell was an officer in the British Army in the first world war. He was subsequently asked to open the first Moving Pictures Theatre at the Savoy in a yet unidentified South African town (most likely Cape Town), this collection of images shows the marketing tactics used by Mr Darrell to bring customers to his cinema.

'Romola' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and shot on location in Italy, one of a number of American films shot in overseas locations in an attempt to attract new viewers. The film features Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, William Powell, and Ronald Colman, and is based on the 1863 George Eliot novel of the same name.