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        Lunch-hour

        A kaleidoscopic early-30s snapshot of the City of London enjoying its lunchtime break.

        Amateur film 1933 8 mins Silent

        Overview

        The Square Mile's social structure is laid bare in this fascinating snapshot of the City of London at lunchtime, shot by an amateur maker of mini-documentaries. The top hats, bowlers, homburgs, trilbies and caps (and police helmets) on show signify the different social classes of their wearers. Each class of worker patronises a different class of eating establishment, some of them briefly shown.

        A professional film crew could have made a more technically perfect film, but not a more vibrant one. The City's hardworking ghosts flicker back to life, and its present bustle suddenly feels fleeting.