This film is part of Free
Mermaids at Play at Bognor (Passmore Family Film)
Breathtakingly adorable home movie of an Edwardian seaside holiday on Bognor Regis beach.
Overview
This breathtakingly adorable film of an Edwardian seaside holiday at Bognor Regis is an incredible survival from the beginnings of cinema: it's one of the world's earliest home movies. The images are pitted with decay and the frame judders unstably, but this century-old film strikes an astonishing resonance with today. These fleeting, personal, everyday snapshots preserve an authentic memory of British life.
The film was shot just down the beach from Park Terrace in the west end of Bognor by Alfred Ernest Passmore (1867-1948). Some 15 home movies made by AE Passmore recording his family at home and at play between 1902-03 are preserved in the BFI National Archive.
Related
Local Scenes and Family Pictures Local Scenes and Family Pictures
Amateur film 1927 14 mins Silent
Grandma and Grandad also join in the fun of this home movie - with beaches, swings & roundabouts and a medieval pageant led by Christopher Robin
Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll
Amateur film 1933 2 mins Silent
Four bright young things enact a midsummer's love tryst among the daisies in this short, well-crafted amateur fiction film.
Psyche's Wedding Psyche's Wedding
Non-Fiction 1920 10 mins Silent Location: Devon
Bright young things thereto plight troth in a society wedding.
The Witch's Fiddle The Witch's Fiddle
Amateur film 1924 7 mins Silent
Gotta dance! A bewitched violin gets everyone's feet tapping.
Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton Marjorie Glasspool Films Her Family in Alton
Amateur film 1930 8 mins Silent Location: Hampshire
Marjorie Glasspool's home movie captures a variety of events and occasions experienced by a Hampshire family
The Scarlet Woman The Scarlet Woman
Home movie 1924 44 mins Silent Location: Hampstead Heath
Catholic fantasy starring Elsa Lanchester and Evelyn Waugh in an Andy Warhol fright wig.
Southern Seaside Southern Seaside
Travelogue 1935 15 mins Silent Location: Bournemouth
Anyone for a trip to the seaside? From Bournemouth to Margate via Brighton and Folkestone – sunny delights in abundance.
What and What Not What and What Not
Amateur film 1930 12 mins Silent Location: Tangmere
Join the crowds dazzled by keep-fit frolics, a record breaking air race, a speed boat celebrity and joy-riding at an air circus in this 1931 film from the Bognor Regis Film Society.
A Family Holiday at Butlins in Bognor Regis A Family Holiday at Butlins in Bognor Regis
Amateur film 1962 4 mins Silent Location: Bognor Regis
Bognor's Butlins is the venue for this nostalgic film from the early 60s - featuring a packed swimming pool, a kiddie playground and a dance hall full of Twisters
Bognor 1954 Bognor 1954
Amateur film 1954 7 mins Silent Location: Bognor Regis
Amateur film of a family trip to Bognor, including shots of the beach and the pier.
A Seaside Girl A Seaside Girl
Comedy 1907 5 mins Silent Location: Bognor Regis
At the seaside, a young Edwardian lady is pursued by three suitors, but which one will win her hand?
Beach Cabin Beach Cabin
Amateur film 1920 1 mins Silent Location: Bognor Regis
Enjoy this candid film from Harry Guermonprez - made at Bognor Regis with beach huts and a woman in trousers who enjoys a smoke or three
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.