This film is part of Free
O Dreamland
Lindsay Anderson’s ground-breaking short film about a Margate amusement park, which helped to launch a new documentary movement.
Overview
Lindsay Anderson’s 12–minute tour of Margate’s Dreamland funfair is immediately notable for its deliberately bleak and unattractive photography and a spare and impressionistic soundtrack. Despite the absence of a commentary, the film distinctly conveys Anderson’s obvious disdain for the modest, if not tawdry, attractions on offer.
Originally made on a tiny budget in 1953, Anderson made the film with just one assistant, John Fletcher, a single 16mm camera and an audiotape recorder. Once completed, the film was shelved until Anderson rescued it three years later for the first Free Cinema programme of documentaries at London’s National Film Theatre (now BFI Southbank), which launched a short-lived movement. The absence of commentary or live ‘synch’ sound became a characteristic of Free Cinema films. They were an inevitable consequence of the budget and the equipment available, but the financial constraints freed Anderson and his associates to use sound expressively: a feature of O Dreamland’s soundtrack is the recurring laughter of mechanical dummies, which takes on a sinister, mocking tone. O Dreamland is also available on BFI's Free Cinema DVD set, along with the entirety of the Free Cinema films.
Related
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.
A Buoyancy Test in the Boating Pool at Easter A Buoyancy Test in the Boating Pool at Easter
Amateur film 1946 4 mins Silent Location: Margate
Margate's seafront is the venue for this short film from Bertram Doughty - showing visitors enjoying the attractions of Kent's famous resort.
Margate's Plaza Cinema Margate's Plaza Cinema
Amateur film 1988 2 mins Location: Margate
Margate's former Plaza Cinema looks a bit forlorn as it waits for yet another transformation in this short film from Alan Stingemore
50 Years On 50 Years On
Amateur film 1990 12 mins Location: Hawkinge
Surviving Battle of Britain veterans celebrate half a century since their finest hour at various locations in Kent - Britain's front line county during the Second World War
Visit to Margate 1950 Visit to Margate 1950
Amateur film 1950 5 mins Silent Location: Margate
Holidaymakers flock to the beach to enjoy traditional coastal entertainments in this dazzling, colourful snapshot of Margate in its heyday.
It All Goes to Show It All Goes to Show
Comedy 1970 27 mins Location: Margate
Arthur Lowe is hilarious as a hen-pecked husband in this cheeky seaside-set comedy, shot in Margate.
Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.
Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.
Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.
Gabriel Yared on composing for film Gabriel Yared on composing for film
Inside Film 2013 11 mins
Composer of The Lives of Others, The English Patient and Betty Blue on intimacy and experimentation.
Lois Burwell on movie makeup Lois Burwell on movie makeup
Inside Film 2013 17 mins
Lincoln, Braveheart and Magnolia make-up artist Lois Burwell explains how she created some of her most iconic looks, as part of a BAFTA Masterclass.
Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass) Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass)
2013 61 mins
British cinematographer of The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, Hillsborough and Riff Raff reviews the art of the moving image.