This film is part of Free
Fay Craig - Mirage
You'd better believe it! Talented Jamaican-born dancer Fay Craig dances up a kitschy storm in this kooky 1960s dance film.
Overview
Fabulous Jamaican-born dancer Fay Craig throws some serious shapes on an ultra-kitsch 1960s stage set in this bizarre dance film, produced for the short-lived Cinebox film-jukebox. The Cinebox films all flaunt their over-the-top aesthetic, but also reveal problematic attitudes towards gender, race and culture - as the exoticisation of Craig in this film highlights. Two other Cinebox numbers, Voodoo and Bongo Baby, are also available on BFI Player.
Fay Craig is known to have starred in at least three short films shot for the Cinebox system. A few years earlier in 1959, she'd made an uncredited appearance in Basil Dearden's crime drama Sapphire, also available on BFI Player. Around the time Bongo Baby was produced, she had a role as a nightclub stripper in Charles Saunders' B picture Jungle Street (1961).
Related
Hull Fair (1902) Hull Fair (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 4 mins Silent Location: Kingston upon Hull
The ornate pavilions of cinematographs, boxing booths and menageries at Hull Fair.
Divide and Rule - Never! Divide and Rule - Never!
Documentary 1978 41 mins
Young working class Londoners fight racism with the power of rock and reggae in this anarchic documentary.
Jemima + Johnny Jemima + Johnny
1966 29 mins Location: Notting Hill
Touching short about the friendship between a white boy and a black girl in 1960s Notting Hill.
Nigerian Wedding in Cornwall Nigerian Wedding in Cornwall
Current affairs 1964 1 mins Silent Location: Pool
Dressing to please as the happy couple switch wedding dress for national dress.
A World Is Turning A World Is Turning
Documentary 1948 45 mins
A lost chapter in black British film: extraordinary rushes from a documentary showcasing talented members of the black community.
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
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.