Abstract

Arguing that technologies of cinema have long been iterative rather than singular, this essay positions portability at the center, rather than the margins, of our working definitions of cinema. By using the American military's development of the JAN (a portable 16mm projector) during World War II as a case study, this essay shows that ideals of adaptability, ease of operation, and efficiency shaped widespread, postwar technological developments. The implications of this for new directions in film historiography are discussed.

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