Now I know I am not going to be able to get to Whaley Bridge on December 4th to see a wonderful collection of short films from 1914.
They were the stuff of the early cinema made more compelling by those that featured the world events which were bit by bit were drawing Britain into that long bitter war.
Today with instant wall to wall news it is sometimes difficult to appreciate that there was a time when pretty much the only means of finding out what was going on was the newspaper and that entertainment was restricted to the musical hall the odd visit to the theatre and the occasional arrival of the circus.
So the picture houses or the “flicks” were both entirely new and exciting places to visit.*
In an age of multiplex cinemas and DVDs it is difficult to recapture the experiences of seeing images larger than life moving across the screen in the dark accompanied only by a piano.
Most of those early cinemas have gone but a few survive like the one at Holmfirth.
All of which is enough from me and so I shall now just give you the fourteen short films with the accompanying notes as an entree in to that lost world.
Looping the Loop at Hendon (March 1914)
Pioneering British aviators Gustav Hamel and Bentfield Hucks perform stunts at the legendary Hendon airfield. Although not hard news, this was a topical story.
Palace Pandemonium (May 1914)
The leading campaigner for votes for women, Emmeline Pankhurst, goes to petition the King in person at Buckingham Palace. The campaign for votes for women was very high-profile and often featured in the news. The suffragettes would stage appearances at events for maximum impact.
Austrian Tragedy (July 1914)
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, this newsreel shows footage of the Austro-Hungarian royal family, including the wedding of Archduke Karl who succeeded Franz Ferdinand as heir to the imperial throne.
Dogs for the Antarctic (August 1914)
Following the death of Captain Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton plans another expedition to Antarctica, taking plenty of dogs. This is typical of the ‘magazine’ style film shorts of the time.
Daisy Doodad’s Dial
American Vitagraph studio star Florence Turner ran her own film company at the Hepworth studios on the Thames. In this comedy ‘dial’ means ‘face’. The ebullient Daisy Doodad practises for a face-pulling competition and ends up getting herself arrested.
Egypt and Her Defenders
This travelogue of the famous sights of Egypt shows Lord Kitchener as British Consul General before he was made Secretary of State for War. In this film with colour tinting, he is seen reviewing the troops.
Lieutenant Pimple and the Stolen Submarine
Fred Evans was the most popular British comedian of the age, turning out hundreds of ‘Pimple’ films which made a virtue of their low budgets. Here Pimple foils the plans of dastardly foreign spies. If Monty Python had made comedies in 1914 they would look like this.
Scouts’ Valuable Aid (August 1914)
As the nation gears up for war even the young are mobilised to help the war effort … Here a pair of Sea Scouts are on the look-out on the cliff tops for an invading fleet.
German Occupation of Historic Louvain (September 1914)
When Germany invades neutral Belgium, the destruction of the historic town of Louvain and its ancient university library provokes worldwide outrage. This newsreel was presumably filmed by a cameraman from a neutral country.
General French’s Contemptible Little Army
General French, commander of the British army in France, gets the better of the Germans in this lightning sketch by pioneering animator Lancelot Speed. Animation was popular and commonly distributed as part of the newsreels. Cartoons allowed Speed to be splendidly irreverent.
Christmas at the Front (December 1914)
Troops celebrate Christmas at the Front. We’re not told where for reasons of national security. But it’s good to see the boys being well fed before they return to the trenches.
The Perils of Pauline
American imports were always popular and serials were the latest sensation in 1914. In this excerpt, Pearl White stars as Pauline, a feisty heroine pursued by villains eager to get their hands on her fortune and features both an accidental hot air balloon trip and a spectacularly daring rescue from a burning building.
The Rollicking Raja
Years before the arrival of the ‘talkies’, this Vivaphone song film (which wonderfully shows the ladies fashions and dance moves of the day) would have been accompanied by a synchronised sound disc, which is now lost. The song is recreated here from the surviving sheet music. The Vivaphone was a British sound on disc system pioneered by Cecil Hepworth.
A Film Johnnie
In 1914, Hollywood is born and British comedian Charles Chaplin is its greatest star. He explodes onto British screens in summer of that year. This is one of his very first films and is, appropriately, set in a cinema.
WHALEY BRIDGE FILM GROUP, A NIGHT AT THE CINEMA IN 1914 December 4 7.30, the Mechanics Institue, Whaley Bridge
Admission £4 (£3 concessions) Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start
Booking in advance required.
Tea, coffee, homemade cakes, beer and wine will be on sale.
Whaleyfilms@hotmail.co.uk Phone: 07531 982995
www.highpeakfilm.org.uk
Pictures; still from Charlie Chaplin courtesy of Whaley Bridge Film Group, Greetings from Egypt and troops embarking on a train from the collection of David Harrop
Painting; the Holmfirth Picturedrome © 2014 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Facebook: Paintings from Pictures
*Paintings from Pictures, www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
* Tom Mix, memories of cowboy films and the Holmfirth Picturedrome, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/tom-mix-memories-of-cowboy-films-and.html
 |
| Charlie Chaplin, 1914 |
Today with instant wall to wall news it is sometimes difficult to appreciate that there was a time when pretty much the only means of finding out what was going on was the newspaper and that entertainment was restricted to the musical hall the odd visit to the theatre and the occasional arrival of the circus.
So the picture houses or the “flicks” were both entirely new and exciting places to visit.*
In an age of multiplex cinemas and DVDs it is difficult to recapture the experiences of seeing images larger than life moving across the screen in the dark accompanied only by a piano.
 | |
| Holmfirth Picturedrome, 2014 |
All of which is enough from me and so I shall now just give you the fourteen short films with the accompanying notes as an entree in to that lost world.
Looping the Loop at Hendon (March 1914)
Pioneering British aviators Gustav Hamel and Bentfield Hucks perform stunts at the legendary Hendon airfield. Although not hard news, this was a topical story.
Palace Pandemonium (May 1914)
The leading campaigner for votes for women, Emmeline Pankhurst, goes to petition the King in person at Buckingham Palace. The campaign for votes for women was very high-profile and often featured in the news. The suffragettes would stage appearances at events for maximum impact.
Austrian Tragedy (July 1914)
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, this newsreel shows footage of the Austro-Hungarian royal family, including the wedding of Archduke Karl who succeeded Franz Ferdinand as heir to the imperial throne.
Dogs for the Antarctic (August 1914)
Following the death of Captain Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton plans another expedition to Antarctica, taking plenty of dogs. This is typical of the ‘magazine’ style film shorts of the time.
Daisy Doodad’s Dial
American Vitagraph studio star Florence Turner ran her own film company at the Hepworth studios on the Thames. In this comedy ‘dial’ means ‘face’. The ebullient Daisy Doodad practises for a face-pulling competition and ends up getting herself arrested.
 |
| Postcard from Egypt, 1918 |
This travelogue of the famous sights of Egypt shows Lord Kitchener as British Consul General before he was made Secretary of State for War. In this film with colour tinting, he is seen reviewing the troops.
Lieutenant Pimple and the Stolen Submarine
Fred Evans was the most popular British comedian of the age, turning out hundreds of ‘Pimple’ films which made a virtue of their low budgets. Here Pimple foils the plans of dastardly foreign spies. If Monty Python had made comedies in 1914 they would look like this.
Scouts’ Valuable Aid (August 1914)
German Occupation of Historic Louvain (September 1914)
When Germany invades neutral Belgium, the destruction of the historic town of Louvain and its ancient university library provokes worldwide outrage. This newsreel was presumably filmed by a cameraman from a neutral country.
 |
| Unknown unit, date unknown |
General French, commander of the British army in France, gets the better of the Germans in this lightning sketch by pioneering animator Lancelot Speed. Animation was popular and commonly distributed as part of the newsreels. Cartoons allowed Speed to be splendidly irreverent.
Christmas at the Front (December 1914)
Troops celebrate Christmas at the Front. We’re not told where for reasons of national security. But it’s good to see the boys being well fed before they return to the trenches.
The Perils of Pauline
American imports were always popular and serials were the latest sensation in 1914. In this excerpt, Pearl White stars as Pauline, a feisty heroine pursued by villains eager to get their hands on her fortune and features both an accidental hot air balloon trip and a spectacularly daring rescue from a burning building.
The Rollicking Raja
Years before the arrival of the ‘talkies’, this Vivaphone song film (which wonderfully shows the ladies fashions and dance moves of the day) would have been accompanied by a synchronised sound disc, which is now lost. The song is recreated here from the surviving sheet music. The Vivaphone was a British sound on disc system pioneered by Cecil Hepworth.
In 1914, Hollywood is born and British comedian Charles Chaplin is its greatest star. He explodes onto British screens in summer of that year. This is one of his very first films and is, appropriately, set in a cinema.
WHALEY BRIDGE FILM GROUP, A NIGHT AT THE CINEMA IN 1914 December 4 7.30, the Mechanics Institue, Whaley Bridge
Admission £4 (£3 concessions) Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start
Booking in advance required.
Tea, coffee, homemade cakes, beer and wine will be on sale.
Whaleyfilms@hotmail.co.uk Phone: 07531 982995
www.highpeakfilm.org.uk
Pictures; still from Charlie Chaplin courtesy of Whaley Bridge Film Group, Greetings from Egypt and troops embarking on a train from the collection of David Harrop
Painting; the Holmfirth Picturedrome © 2014 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Facebook: Paintings from Pictures
*Paintings from Pictures, www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
* Tom Mix, memories of cowboy films and the Holmfirth Picturedrome, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/tom-mix-memories-of-cowboy-films-and.html
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