Universal goes to Asia : Trans-pacific film distribution in the 1910s

The purpose of this article is to trace the footsteps of the first general manager in the Far East of Universal, Tom Dakin Cochrane, in order to clarify the process of the U.S. companies deploying distribution networks in Asia where particularly French Pathé Frères was dominating the Asian film market. By tracing Cochrane's path from his departure for Asia to the establishment of the Tokyo branch in 1916, it will also determine the geopolitical importance of Japan within Asia for the U.S. film distribution at the beginning of the 20th century.