The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
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Jubilee Celebrations in a 'typical' English Village
Pram racing, a ‘Laughing Policeman’ competition and Maypole Dancing are the 'typically English' Silver Jubilee celebratory activities for one North Bedfordshire village.
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Overview
The bells of St. Peter ring out and a Punch and Judy show begins. Anglia Television capture the Silver Jubilee activities of the North Bedfordshire village of Sharnbrook for television broadcast in the fellow Commonwealth country of Canada. Thought to be archetypal festivities for an English village, Sharnbrook hold a street party with fancy dress and games to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 25th year since accession to the throne.
Towards the end of the footage we see a song routine conducted in blackface; a shocking sight today especially considering the relative recency of the film. However such routines would have reflected the contemporary popularity of The Black and White Minstrel Show, which ran with great success on the BBC until the year after this film was shot, 1978. Despite its offensiveness today, we have retained this footage for the historical significance of preserving the film as it was originally intended.
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