In 1919 a film version of the hit stage show Lads of the Village lurched into cinemas. The show had been touring the UK for two years at this point, and would continue to tour for at least another four. But the film is mired in controversy.
My research on the WWI stage musical the Lads of the Village and its 1919 film adaptation, which resulted in a court case, has been published in Early Popular Visual Culture.
Here's a link to a free download for the first 50 peeps who fancy a read.
If the 'free downloads' for the Journal Article have been used up, here's a blog I wrote for the Great War Theatre project which gives an overview of the stage show, the film, and the subsequent copyright court case. This research was first presented at the British Silent Film Festival Symposium in 2018.
All images from the 1919 film, used here with thanks the BFI National Film & Television Archive.