This film is part of Free
Girls Looking at Film and Giggling
One of the earliest amateur film portraits, and certainly one of the most charming.
Overview
Just try to watch this Edwardian home movie without cracking a smile. The giggles of Mavis and Margaret Passmore as they examine a 35mm film strip are certainly infectious. The filmmaker, their father Herbert, makes the shrewd move of giving the girls something to do, adding the movement that separates this from a still photographic portrait. In capturing the life and animation of these giggling girls, this wonderful amateur film bridges the century between us in seconds.
Related
Local Scenes and Family Pictures Local Scenes and Family Pictures
Amateur film 1927 14 mins Silent
Grandma and Grandad also join in the fun of this home movie - with beaches, swings & roundabouts and a medieval pageant led by Christopher Robin
Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll
Amateur film 1933 2 mins Silent
Four bright young things enact a midsummer's love tryst among the daisies in this short, well-crafted amateur fiction film.
Psyche's Wedding Psyche's Wedding
Home movie 1920 10 mins Silent Location: Devon
Bright young things thereto plight troth in a society wedding.
The Witch's Fiddle The Witch's Fiddle
Amateur film 1924 7 mins Silent
Gotta dance! A bewitched violin gets everyone's feet tapping.
Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton
Amateur film 1930 8 mins Silent Location: Hampshire
Marjorie Glasspool's home movie captures a variety of events and occasions experienced by a Hampshire family
The Scarlet Woman The Scarlet Woman
Home movie 1924 44 mins Silent Location: Hampstead Heath
Catholic fantasy starring Elsa Lanchester and Evelyn Waugh in an Andy Warhol fright wig.
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.