The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Launch of M.S. Manora
A brass band serenades guests in the rain at aTyneside launch of the towering MS Manora cargo ship from Swan Hunters shipyard in Wallsend.
From the collection of:
Overview
There’s steel and brass at the world famous Swan Hunters’ Neptune shipyard in Wallsend as a band plays in the rain for British India Steam Navigation Company guests at a low-key launch of the MS Manora cargo ship on 9 March 1970. A breathtaking shot reveals the remarkable scale of vessels constructed on the River Tyne as the diminutive figures of workers prepare for launch on the slipway beneath the giant ship’s hull.
Swan Hunters commissioned film and videos of ship construction, launches and sea trials from the 1950s until around 1981, many from Newcastle-based Turners Film Productions. Turners started life as a chemist shop down Pink Lane, selling cameras on the side from 1932. By 1947 they were one of the North East’s leading photographic and cine retail firms with its own film production unit, the first industrial commission with Bartram & Sons South Dock shipyard in Sunderland. Over the next 50 years, until their closure in 1999, Turners produced some 2,000 films, working for most of the industries and many of the companies and regional development agencies based in the North East.
Related
Ship is Launched Ship is Launched
Industry sponsored film 1957 7 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
The famous Swan Hunter shipyards on the Tyne grease the slipway for another stirring launch in the prosperous 1950s.
Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple
Non-Fiction 1918 5 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Barnstaple's experimental concrete-hulled ship gets a visit from a jolly Italian admiral.
City of Ships City of Ships
Industry sponsored film 1940 34 mins Location: Royal Albert Dock
There’s breathtaking footage of the London’s docks at their bustling peak in this informative film celebrating the work of the Port Of London Authority.
Shipyard Shipyard
1935 25 mins Location: Barrow-In-Furness
Paul Rotha’s brilliant film of the building and launch of SS Orion from the shipyards of Barrow-in-Furness.
Topical Budget 34-1 Topical Budget 34-1
Non-Fiction 1912 2 mins Silent Location: Southampton
Two of the earliest surviving editions of the Topical Budget newsreel, released in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster.
RMS Queen Mary Leaves the Clyde RMS Queen Mary Leaves the Clyde
1936 2 mins Silent
The iconic Cunard White Star liner leaves the shipyard of her birth and ventures seawards for the first time.
Simpson's Hotel Simpson's Hotel
News 1974 2 mins Location: Wallsend
A simple home for the homeless under threat. The Simpson’s Hotel in Wallsend is down but not yet out.
Metro: The Way Ahead Metro: The Way Ahead
Promotional 1984 27 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
The fast track to an ambitious new Metro system that ends commuter misery on Tyneside in the 80s.
A Christmas Party A Christmas Party
Amateur film 1951 4 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
Baby boomers celebrate Christmas with a party at a prefab in post-war Wallsend.
The Living Wall: A Personal View of Hadrian's Wall The Living Wall: A Personal View of Hadrian's Wall
Documentary 1974 52 mins Location: Wallsend
Acclaimed author Hunter Davies travels the length of a magnificent Roman wall that stretches from industrial Tyneside to the Solway Firth.
The Launch of the Punta Medanos at Wallsend The Launch of the Punta Medanos at Wallsend
Sponsored film 1950 8 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
Tyneside shipyard Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson turns out a beast of a tanker for the Argentine Navy
Construction of a Graving Dock Construction of a Graving Dock
Amateur film 1935 19 mins Silent Location: Wallsend
A construction project looks to the future at a Swan Hunter’s Tyneside shipyard in the 1930s.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.