This film is part of Free
A Wreck in a Gale
The ship may have been wrecked already, but storm waves batter it once again in this fearsome Victorian footage
Overview
This film title is almost, though not quite, false advertising. There's certainly a gale, and a wrecked ship, but the one didn't cause the other. This early film records a brutal storm with a close view of waves crashing over a wreck - an empty, broken ship that had beached some time before. Still, the wreck gives a sense of scale to the ferocity of the weather, and is a stark reminder of the damage that a gale can do.
Related
The Derby 1896 The Derby 1896
Sport 1896 0 mins Silent
A pioneering example of filmed news: from Epsom to the screen in record time
Feeding the Tigers Feeding the Tigers
Interest film 1899 1 mins Silent
A big cat has to perform for its supper in this early actuality film
H.M.S. Powerful Moored at Portsmouth H.M.S. Powerful Moored at Portsmouth
Non-Fiction 1900 0 mins Silent Location: Portsmouth
Take a good look at one of the era's largest warships - the hefty H.M.S. Powerful, back from the Boer War
Belfast Street Scenes 1890's Belfast Street Scenes 1890's
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Belfast
A view down the High Street featuring the Albert Clock, a shot of Queen's Bridge and the docks
Beach Scene Beach Scene
Non-Fiction 1897 1 mins Silent
A charming image of children paddling on a pebbly beach on a hot summer's day
Beagles Beagles
Amateur film 1898 2 mins Silent
A pack of beagles are assembled for a hunt by their trainers and a huntsman
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.