This film is part of Free
London as the 'City of Dreadful Night'
Experience the dinge and gloom of the smog shrouding London's Trafalgar Square in the 1920s.
Overview
There's a playful futility to this bitesize Topical Budget newsreel item, which comically showcases just how difficult photography in the fog actually is: this smog almost completely shrouds London's Trafalgar Square in darkness. But the newsreel manages to spin the story of "the worst fog for 20 years" into a technical triumph – its "special lenses pierce the gloom"… barely.
Digitisation supported by the London Topographical Society.
Related
London Street Scenes - Trafalgar Square London Street Scenes - Trafalgar Square
Non-Fiction 1910 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Spot the changes and continuities in this majestic Edwardian panorama of Trafalgar Square.
Animated Politics Animated Politics
Non-Fiction 1910 0 mins Silent Location: Woolwich
Woolwich candidates face the voters in the first of 1910's two general elections.
Miss Davison's Funeral Miss Davison's Funeral
Non-Fiction 1913 2 mins Silent Location: Bloomsbury
The funeral procession of suffragette Emily Davison - fatally injured at the Epsom Derby - passes through London to her final resting place in Morpeth.
To Defend the East Coast To Defend the East Coast
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent Location: Eltham
Magnificent artillery horses and their youthful riders parade the streets of Eltham as rapt locals look on.
Looping the Loop at Hendon Looping the Loop at Hendon
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent Location: Hendon
Spectacular feats of early aviation at Hendon Aerodrome, North London.
Old London Old London
Non-Fiction 1914 6 mins Silent Location: Westminster
A revealing tour of London's notable buildings - some now lost for ever - which uncovers their intriguing histories.
Trafalgar Day London 1900 Trafalgar Day London 1900
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Location: Trafalgar Square
With the Boer War raging 1,000s of miles away, Victorian Londoners pay tribute to the military
Out of Chaos Out of Chaos
Documentary 1944 27 mins Location: Trafalgar Square
"Why in the height of a world war, should there be this terrific interest in painting?"
Trafalgar Square Riot Trafalgar Square Riot
Non-Fiction 1913 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
A suffragette demonstration led by Sylvia Pankhurst ends in chaos as police prevent a march on Downing Street.
Mass Meeting of Suffragettes Mass Meeting of Suffragettes
Non-Fiction 1910 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Votes for Women protesters swamp Trafalgar Square, brandishing placards and petitions.
London Street Scenes - Trafalgar Square London Street Scenes - Trafalgar Square
Non-Fiction 1910 1 mins Silent Location: Trafalgar Square
Spot the changes and continuities in this majestic Edwardian panorama of Trafalgar Square.
Aldermaston Aldermaston
Amateur film 1962 25 mins Silent Location: Aldermaston
A fascinating record of the 1962 Aldermaston March featuring Canon John Collins, Michael Foot and thousands of marchers of all ages.
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.