A Royal Occasion: From Victoria to Elizabeth II

Synopsis

To coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the BFI has put together a collection of films from the the BFI National Archive on a range of royalty-related subjects, beginning as far back as 1896. The footage creates a comprehensive historical survey of the royal family on film, from the late Victorian era to the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. The collection features previously unseen material, such as silent Topical Budget newsreels and early colour productions, which illustrate the development of British filmmaking techniques. It also contains the first ever footage of a British monarch on film (Queen Victoria at Balmoral, which is newly restored), the first big British ceremonial event (Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897) and the first colour film of Trooping the Colour (1937). The films also offer rare glimpses of touching royal moments, including the birth of Princess Elizabeth, the Royal Family at home during World War II, and a behind-the-scenes film made by Daimler of the 1947 royal tour of South Africa.

Queen Victoria - Includes Scenes at Balmoral (1896) and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (1897)
Edward VII & Queen Alexandra - Includes Edward VII at Queen Victoria’s Funeral (1901), Edward VII’s Coronation (1902), King Edward VII launches HMS Dreadnought from Portsmouth Dockyard (1906) and Queen Alexandra’s Drive through London (1916)
George V & Queen Mary - Includes The Queen and the Land Lassies (1918), Queen’s Visit to the East End (1917) and Silver Jubilee (1935)
George VI & Queen Elizabeth - Includes Wedding Cake for Duke of York’s Bride (1923), The Royal Wedding (1923) and Britain’s Baby Princess (1926).
Elizabeth II - Includes Long to Reign Over Us (1953) and Lambeth Rejoices: Coronation Television (1953)

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2012

Subjects

Social Studies; History

Keywords

archive films; British studies; history of Britain; history of the 20th century; royal family

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£19.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

287 minutes

Year

2012

Production Company

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

Name

Central Office of Information

Distributor

 

Available from retail outlets