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Attractions of a British Seaside Town

Striptease and the lost art of synchronised fencing are among the pleasures of this patchwork view of the seaside experience

Non-Fiction 1935 6 mins Silent

Overview

Few films show how the family seaside experience has changed in the last century as much as this one. It's a patchwork portrait, including a striptease show, close-ups of tea service, swimming races, and a detailed study of the lost art of synchronised fencing. Of course, what is unchanged is the beach itself; even in a world of VR and the internet, you can’t beat sandcastles and a quick paddle.

The origins of this film are shrouded in mystery: it seems to be unedited footage for a production that was perhaps never finished. The mute negative came to the BFI National Archive as part of a large collection of disparate material and now stands as another of film history's enigmatic treasures.

Original title

Attractions of British Seaside Town

Genres

Non-Fiction

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

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