Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Parades in Shanghai
The brooding cityscape of 1930s Shanghai appears throughout this film as well as military parades and marches by British troops while Japanese soldiers look on.
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Overview
A sense of foreboding permeates this 1937 film showing life in Shanghai's International Settlement. Military parades, many featuring Scottish regiments, are intercut with domestic scenes. However, Japanese military personnel can also be seen watching the proceedings. Otherwise, life for the expats continues as normal with outdoor meals, skittles and a ladies bowling match despite the fact that the Japanese Imperial Army surrounds their still neutral territory.
At the time this film was made, the Japanese Imperial Army were attacking and occupying areas of Shanghai that were not part of the still neutral International Settlement. By the end of 1937 their occupation of the Chinese districts of Shanghai was complete though it was not until the day after the attack on Pearl Harbour in late 1941, that the Japanese invaded the remaining parts of the city. Richard Martin, who made this film and was a member of the Shanghai Municipal Police, was interned in 1942 at Poodong Camp. However, his Japanese wife and children escaped internment because of their dual citizenship - their children's names appeared on her Japanese passport rather than on Mr Martin's British passport.
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