This film is part of Free
Attack on a Mission Station
Dramatised account of Chinese rebels' violent confrontation with Christian missionaries, made in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion.
Overview
These fictionalised scenes of Chinese 'Boxer' rebels attacking a Christian mission station were filmed by Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon in and around their home town of Blackburn. The Boxers were a Chinese secret society dedicated to expelling foreigners, particularly Christian missionaries, from China. Some of the actors here make less than convincing rebels, even dead ones!
This film was also known as Boxer Attack on a Missionary Outpost. Competing filmmaker James Williamson went to considerable lengths to ensure that his version, Attack on a China Mission, would be more dramatic, with authentic gunshots and explosions. Reconstructions of topical events like this were fairly common in early film, and Mitchell & Kenyon made several. They are sometimes described as 'fake' actuality films, although audiences were probably under no illusions that what they were seeing was genuine footage of the events depicted.
Related
The Beggar's Deceit The Beggar's Deceit
Comedy 1900 1 mins Silent
A copper pursues a cheeky beggar who can't possibly escape justice - or can he?
Come Along, Do! Come Along, Do!
Comedy 1898 1 mins Silent
A museum visitor takes an interest in a nude sculpture - to his wife's annoyance - in a sadly incomplete early film comedy
How It Feels to Be Run Over How It Feels to Be Run Over
Trick film 1900 1 mins Silent
A terrifying first-person brush with death at the hands of a dangerous driver
Spiders on a Web Spiders on a Web
1900 0 mins Silent
Dare you watch this footage of larger-than-life spiders - one of the earliest nature films of its type?
Railway Collision Railway Collision
Drama 1900 1 mins Silent
An impressive early film special effect
Comic Faces - Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer Comic Faces - Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer
Comedy 1897 1 mins Silent
How many faces can one man pull while drinking one glass of beer? Far more than you might think
Sir Robert Baden Powell attends the Scout Rally in Witton Park Sir Robert Baden Powell attends the Scout Rally in Witton Park
Non-Fiction 1924 12 mins Silent Location: Blackburn
A show of scouting skills in Blackburn, Lancashire.
The National Party The National Party
Current affairs 1976 26 mins Location: Blackburn
A fiery and harrowing investigation into the rise of the far-right in Blackburn
L.S. Lowry - The Industrial Artist L.S. Lowry - The Industrial Artist
Documentary 1973 17 mins Location: Mottram in Longdendale
Matchstick men and so much more - the work and world of Lawrence Stephen Lowry, recorder of the industrial north.
Waterfall Mill, Blackburn Waterfall Mill, Blackburn
Amateur film 1950 12 mins Silent Location: Blackburn
Mill workers and machines - a detailed look at the Lancashire textile industry.
Not So Much a Facelift... Not So Much a Facelift...
Documentary 1976 25 mins Location: Norwich
An enjoyably odd public information film shot on the streets of Blackburn, Norwich and Oxford.
Visit of H.R.H. Princess Louise to Blackburn (1905) Visit of H.R.H. Princess Louise to Blackburn (1905)
Non-Fiction 1905 13 mins Silent Location: Blackburn
A majestic Blackpool monument to Queen Victoria is unveiled by Princess Louise.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.