The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free

After Eights: Terrace
A world away from zany humour, Richard Lester shows he can also capture the easy opulence of the upper class nibbling After Eight mints.
1965 1 mins
From the collection of:

Overview
Apart from the unlikelihood of candles remaining alight outside on a British summer’s evening, this ad for After Eights has the ring of authenticity. Our elegant, and clearly wealthy, dinner party guests are sat outside on the terrace of a country house sipping wine from their fine cut glasses, having fine conversation, and enjoying a plentiful supply of After Eight mints, beautifully shot by Richard Lester in 1965, the year he was directing the Beatles in Help.
This is one of a large collection of films made by Rowntree’s of York (now Nestlé), most of which are adverts for their confectionary products. From the their creation in 1962 right through into the 1980s Rowntree’s marketed After Eights in ads year after year as the kind of chocolate the well-heeled set would eat, as “unashamed luxury”. Richard Lester would have made this ad sometime in between directing the Beatles in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and then in ‘Help’, as well as directing Rita Tushingham in ‘The Knack … and How to Get It’, which was also released in 1965. Lester was one of many film directors still establishing themselves making television commercials at this time.
Related
Food, Glorious Food!

Rowntrees Polo Mint: Romeo Rowntrees Polo Mint: Romeo
Advert 1965 0 mins
“Tis but thy name that is my enemy” is hardly an idea that lends itself to such a strong branded product, but it enlightens the otherwise humdrum.

Huntley and Palmer Digestive Biscuits Huntley and Palmer Digestive Biscuits
Advert 1981 1 mins
Liverpool and England footballer Emlyn Hughes gets nostalgic when he takes a team of aspiring youngsters through their paces

RHM Nimble: Tennis Woman RHM Nimble: Tennis Woman
Advert 1964 0 mins
An advertisement for Rank Hovis McDougall’s Nimble bread featuring a female tennis player.

Elsie and the Brown Bunny Elsie and the Brown Bunny
Advert 1921 8 mins Location: Bournville
This early Cadbury advert plays like a surreal outtake from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

Rowntrees Kit Kat: Model Train Rowntrees Kit Kat: Model Train
1957 1 mins
Tri-ang model railways are a lure for children and big kids, but Kit Kat gets the grown-ups' attention

Cadbury's Star Bar Cadbury's Star Bar
Advert 1979 0 mins
An animated spaceman finds a Star Bar which gives him an energy boost.
York

This Is York This Is York
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.

Fruit Gums: Teenager Fruit Gums: Teenager
1960 1 mins Location: York
The teenager emerges into our culture in all innocence, fruit gums in hand, doing what all teenagers first do; buy a record in a record shop.

Polo Mint: Just Enjoy Them Polo Mint: Just Enjoy Them
Advert 1971 1 mins Location: York
“If I’m in a vicious mood I crunch them . . . if I’m in a good mood I suck them slowly.”

Rowntrees Smarties: The Smarties Place Rowntrees Smarties: The Smarties Place
Advert 1982 1 mins Location: York
A child’s fantasy of being in a place where Smarties are overflowing, and there are no adults around to spoil the fun.

Rowntrees Aero: Train Rowntrees Aero: Train
Advert 1980 1 mins Location: York
The bar with unique bubbly texture, using a secret bubbly formula, giving rise to the bubbly banter of bubbly flirting.

Dairy Box: Skiffle Cellar Dairy Box: Skiffle Cellar
Advert 1958 1 mins Location: York
Out goes the romantic gesture and in comes the hip as Una Stubbs and her fellow cats break open the chocolates in a groovy scene in a groovy club.
New

Blue Pullman Blue Pullman
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.

The Scene from Melbury House The Scene from Melbury House
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.

This Is York This Is York
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.

Fully Fitted Freight Fully Fitted Freight
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.

Train Time Train Time
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.

A Future on Rail A Future on Rail
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.