"I believe that one of the most hopeful signs for the future of the cinema is the establishment of news-reel and magazine theatres in various big cities throughout the world."

So proclaimed Caroline Lejeune, the Observer's film critic, in 1931. Lejeune went on to enthuse about newsreels' unique potential to reach out to the individual and to the masses. From the 1930s onwards, dedicated newsreel theatres - a phenomenon imported from America - appeared widely across Britain. These theatres provided an hour-long show on continuous loop in busy city centres, particularly at main railways stations, to amuse delayed passengers and weary shoppers. Newsreel cinemas were often conversions of early, struggling picture houses - sometimes completely rebuilt - but many were specially constructed.

One such theatre was the Tyneside Cinema. Built in 1937, it was Newcastle's first dedicated newsreel theatre, and it stands today as the finest surviving example of its kind in Britain. In this short film we explore the fascinating history of the Tyneside as a way of examining the rise and fall of the newsreel. We talk to its visitors and employees as well as a range of newsreel experts.