Shifting from Poster to Screen: Advertising and Cultural Consumption in Oltenian Cinema in the First Half of the 20th Century

Georgeta GHIONEA 
Scientific Researcher III, PhD.
Institute of Socio-Human Research from Craiova – C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor, of the Romanian Academy
E-mail: getaghionea@yahoo.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0349-8978
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59277/CSNPISSH.2025.05

Copyright (c) 2025.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Published on December 28, 2025

Abstract
The paper Shifting from poster to screen. Advertising and cultural consumption in the Oltenian cinema in the first half of the XXth century looks into the significance of the interwar cinema as a phenomenon of social and cultural upgrade in Oltenia. The analysis aims both infrastructure and to institutionalization of cinema halls as well as advertising mechanisms and reception of the film by the audience. Local press advertisements, colorful posters and street campaigns helped legitimize the film as a product of modern culture, putting emphasis on international stars literary adaptations and a highly praised language of promotion. The study demonstrates that cinema in the interwar Oltenia wasn’t just an entertainment space, but also a visual education tool, of socialization and cultural democratization, reflecting the tension between the public taste and the constraints imposed by the State.

Keyword
Oltenia, advertisment, cultural consumption, press, modernization

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