Mitchell & Kenyon Edwardian Sports

Synopsis

The collection of films on this DVD offers an unparalleled opportunity to see and learn about sporting action at the beginning of the twentieth century. Over a century ago, filmmakers Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon roamed the British Isles filming the everyday lives of people at work and play. For around 70 years, 800 rolls of this early nitrate film sat in sealed barrels in the basement of a shop in Blackburn but they have now been rediscovered and painstakingly restored by the British Film Institute.

This selection of sporting highlights from the Mitchell & Kenyon Collection brings together some of the earliest surviving films (1901-7) featuring the titans of professional football, cricket and rugby whilst also rediscovering the Corinthian spirit of amateur sport and leisure in Edwardian life. Liverpool, Hull, Kingston Rovers, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers football teams are all featured, alongside a swimming gala in North Shields, the AAA championships of 1901 and the Mold cricket controversy - an early ‘chucking’ storm with an Australian umpire at its centre. The DVD is programmed by Dr Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive at the University of Sheffield Library.

DVD extras include commentary by Dr Vanessa Toulmin and an 18-page illustrated booklet with an introduction and film notes by Dr Toulmin

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2007

Year of production

1901-1907

Subjects

Film studies; History; Sports science

Keywords

archive films; social history; history of sport

Credits

Director

James Kenyon; Sagar Mitchell

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£19.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

108 minutes

Year

2007

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email

video.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7957 8957

Fax

020 7957 8968

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

 

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