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| Two images above are from remarkable films newly discovered from the Edwardian Era. This footage is from the Mitchell and Kenyon collection and taken in 1901 along the seafront in Morecambe, England. Note: The images on the discovered film have much more clarity than above latter day computer camera images. |
RARE EDWARDIAN FILMS—Almost a decade ago, a treasure trove of long
forgotten motion pictures from Edwardian era filmmakers Sagar Mitchell and John
Kenyon, were discovered in the basement of an English photography store.
If you’re like me you
remember films of the era being herky-jerky and moving so fast that made
historic images cartoonish, however, the new found Mitchell and Kenyon films
(restored by the British Film Institute and others) are so “modern” in their
appearance that viewers feel as they’ve stepped through a magical doorway into
1901. What was learned during the restoration period was that Mitchell and Kenyon were not filming with documentary intent. They learned early on that citizens would pay for a theatre ticket to see themselves. This early "where's Waldo" genre made money for the filmmakers. A century later, they've become documentarians of the first order.
The most clear films from
the Mitchell-Kenyon Collection are found on YouTube:
Morecambe, England seafront
1901
Manchester Street Scene 1901
Edwardian age girls 1908
Cunard Lines at Liverpool
1901.
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| Maids aboard a Cunard Lines ship docked in Liverpool, England, 1901 |
The following is a decade
old three-part collection of ABC television’s Nightline show offering a preview
of a then soon to be launched documentary about the recently discovered
Mitchell and Kenyon Films.
ABC Part One:
ABC Part Two:
ABC Part Three:
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| Morecambe, a seaside resort in Western England, was the site of a recently discovered film of its waterfront in 1901 |
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