Contact:
Julian Mattocks
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
| Pressbox | 
|
London (pte021/14.01.2005/11:20) - Film footage from almost a century ago that was found in a shop basement is to be broadcast by the BBC for the very first time. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, the films by Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon were found by historian Peter Worden in Blackburn in 2002. The 800 reels will give an unparalleled visual record of late Victorian and early Edwardian British life. Among the 26 hours of film is a crime reconstruction from 1901, the first footage of Manchester United in action in 1902 and footage of the last solider to receive the Victoria Cross from Queen Victoria herself.
The three-part series "The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon" combines the restored archive footage and interviews with the descendants of those filmed. The films follow the lives of some of the men and women from the mills and factories, researching their stories and uncovering their working conditions as well as their home lives. The second episode reveals footage of Manchester United and how new leisure time increased the size of crowds at sporting events. Furthermore, it shows how the British rugby and football leagues became professional. It also shows how extra money enabled people to go on holiday to British holiday resorts like Blackpool for the very first time. The third programme shows what is thought to be the first crime reconstruction film - the arrest of a bank embezzler.
The collection was restored by the British Film Institute http://www.bfi.org.uk after being unseen for 80 years. The reels were uncovered three years ago when workmen were clearing out a derelict shop in Blackburn. The archive also features real-life Boer War heroes.
(end)
|
|
