This film is part of Free
Deliverance of Lille by Haig's Men
Bashful British soldiers are mobbed by French citizens after Lille is freed from the Germans in WWI.
Overview
“Vivent les anglais!” The ecstasy of the liberated Lille townsfolk is matched by an enthusiastic use of intertitles in this silent newsreel, which attempts to relay the hubbub of the crowd through written descriptions. An infectiously joyous film, it sees the French Tricolore and Union Flag flown side by side as women crowd round the British heroes, and jostle to get on camera.
Lille fell into enemy hands early in the First World War, and was only liberated by the Allies at the very end of the conflict. Behind the relieved crowds are glimpses of decimated buildings: physical inscriptions of the toll which the four-year occupation took on the northern French town. This film, a British propaganda item, has no hesitation in referencing the “brutality and plunder” of the German regime there.
Related
The Austrian Tragedy The Austrian Tragedy
Non-Fiction 1914 2 mins Silent
A muted newsreel tribute to Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand - victim of an assassin's bullet in an event that would soon take Europe to war.
Bully Boy Bully Boy
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1914 6 mins Silent
Lightning sketch propaganda stirs outrage about Reims bombing, and features a British bulldog eating the German sausage
The Warrior Strain The Warrior Strain
War 1920 52 mins Silent
Young Lord Billy sniffs out sneaky German marauders in this flag-waving war drama - thrills for British boys, 1919-style.
Funeral at the Front Funeral at the Front
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins Silent
Sombre and moving World War I newsreel story.
Christmas at the Front Christmas at the Front
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent
Poignant scenes of Allied troops enjoying their Yuletide rations at the first Christmas of WWI.
Battle Front in Britain Battle Front in Britain
Documentary 1918 24 mins Silent
Growing potatoes in Green Park plus some handy uses for your old tin cans – it’s all part of the war effort on the home front.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.
The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A
Inside Film 2026 36 mins
Writer-director Lucile Hadžihalilović explains how she spun her own dark fairytale out of Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen.