At Wessex Film and Sound Archive you can see and hear history, from late Victorian times to the present day, through moving images and sound recordings. The Archive contains over 36,000 film and sound recordings relating to Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including film and tapes of local TV and radio.
This film is part of Free
Mild & Bitter: Portsmouth & Plymouth
A polemical film where two men in a pub compare and contrast the post-war resurrection of both Portsmouth and Plymouth after their pummelling by the Luftwaffe.
From the collection of:
Overview
A man from Portsmouth meets a man from Plymouth outside the Mermaid. On entering they order a pint of mild and a pint of bitter and sit at a table. Using visuals the pair compare the post-war development of their respective cities. Plymouth is presented as a fine example of a modern, though rather austere looking city while Portsmouth has retained many of its old buildings, bomb-sites and character. The visual comparisons continue until it's closing time at the bar.
Don Reynolds, who made this film, was an architect working for Portsmouth's City Council. His film criticises the city’s sluggish redevelopment, especially when compared to Plymouth, which had also been devastated by the Luftwaffe. In 1943 Sir Patrick Abercrombie produced a Plan for Plymouth, which the city's council enacted quickly and radically. By 1963 much of the city centre was complete though it looked rather uniform and characterless. Portsmouth's council, by contrast, adopted a much less dynamic approach. Surviving pre-war buildings stood cheek-by-jowl with bombsites awaiting the developers. Portsmouth’s own architectural horrors, like the Tricorn Centre, were only a few years away.
Related
Watch for free
Talent Contest (Fun Palace outtakes) Talent Contest (Fun Palace outtakes)
Amateur film 1963 10 mins Silent Location: London
A compelling glimpse inside an unnamed East End pub in 1963 where a talent show takes place featuring singers and strippers.
Watch for free
Victorian Pub Victorian Pub
News 1974 6 mins Location: Aston
Music hall ghosts haunt the Bartons Arms pub in Birmingham; a temple to drink and a rare survivor in a city that has destroyed much of its Victorian architecture.
Watch for free
Bellamy on Beer Bellamy on Beer
Promotional 1982 9 mins Location: Hartlepool
David Bellamy puts his head into hops, then into a fermenting tank, watches it mash into wort and has a pint – all grist to our engaging presenter.
Watch for free
Tour of the Inns Tour of the Inns
Amateur film 1938 6 mins Silent Location: Newark
Join this pub crawl and tread in the ghostly footsteps of innkeepers, smugglers, authors and bargemen of old.
Watch for free
Teenage Mocktailers Teenage Mocktailers
Current affairs 1980 2 mins Location: Burnham-on-Sea
A non-alcohol-serving pub offers somewhere to go and something to do for teenagers in Burnham-on-Sea.
Watch for free
In One End In One End
Documentary 1977 28 mins Location: Southwold
Real ale and folk music in the pub – performed by Fairport Convention – are celebrated in this portrait of Southwold on the Suffolk coast and the work of the Adnams brewery.
Watch for free
Dingles of Plymouth Dingles of Plymouth
Advert 1960 1 mins Location: Plymouth
A charming regional commercial for Plymouth’s best loved department store.
Watch for free
Millbay Laundry Millbay Laundry
Advert 1960 0 mins Location: Plymouth
Help keep your relationship on track by outsourcing your laundry!
Watch for free
Model Clipper Sailor Model Clipper Sailor
Current affairs 1965 2 mins Location: Plymouth
Former shipwright turns his talents to model-making.
Watch for free
Comely Caviar Comely Caviar
Current affairs 1984 1 mins Location: Plymouth
Reporter tests the theory of caviar heightening libido.
Watch for free
Last Cooper Last Cooper
Current affairs 1967 5 mins Location: Plymouth
The last apprenticed cooper in the Royal Navy’s Royal William Victualling Yard undergoes a trusso, an ancient rite of passage.
Watch for free
Liberté Liner Liberté Liner
Current affairs 1961 5 mins Location: Plymouth
Cruising into the history books SS Liberté makes its final voyage stopping at Plymouth en route to Le Havre.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.