This film is part of Free
Leeds Castle
Fashions and pageantry put fabrics to the fore in this COI cinemagazine story filmed at Leeds Castle in Kent.
Overview
Every two years John Packer of the Scottish cloth manufacturer Reid & Taylor put on a show. His fashion extravaganzas promoted some of the most expensive fabrics in the world, and attracted top designers and an audience of fashionistas, including guest of honour Princess Margaret. It was just the kind success story that suited the Central Office of Information’s cinemagazine series This Week in Britain, which exported a positive image of Britain to the world – including Reid & Taylor’s target market of Australia.
The castle backdrop and classical fashions were also perfect fodder for director Peter Greenaway, who spent over a decade constructing such stories for the COI. It was here that he learnt his craft and earned enough to self-finance his own experimental shorts, which would eventually lead to acclaimed feature films like The Belly of an Architect (1987) and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989).
Related
The Exile The Exile
1981 3 mins
Like plants, people can either thrive or wither when removed from their native soil, as this short film explores.
Dear Phone Dear Phone
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 17 mins
Peter Greenaway casts the ubiquitous red telephone box in a starring role, supported by a thread of stories and conversations.
H Is for House H Is for House
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 9 mins
A lesson in lexicography, Greenaway's H is For House recounts objects that begin with the letter ‘h’ as seen through the eye of a child.
Eddie Kidd Eddie Kidd
Cinemagazine 1978 5 mins
Stunt cyclist Eddie Kidd experiences the ups and downs of fame in this COI cinemagazine filmed at Beaulieu.
Intervals Intervals
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1973 6 mins
Adapting Vivaldi's notation system from The Four Seasons, Peter Greenaway presents a series of images shot in Venice.
Zandra Rhodes Zandra Rhodes
Government sponsored film 1981 15 mins
Early 1980s portrait of fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, by fellow avant-garde creator, Peter Greenaway.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.