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A pet crow responds to its owner
News 1983 3 mins Silent
From the collection of:
Anthony Fisher keeps a pet crow at his home in Devon. The crow is considered to be among the world’s most intelligent animals but they are rather noisy to keep owing to their harsh caw which can make their owner less than chirpy. In pairs they are aggressive and quarrelsome. Believed to have originated in central Asia, the crow is part of the corvus species which includes the chough, jackdaw, jay, nutcracker, magpie, raven and rook.
The Manciple’s Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales tells of the manciple, a purchasing agent for a law court, who recounts a fable about Phoebus Apollo and his pet crow with the moral of the story a warning to those who gossip.
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Documentary 1940 12 mins
Fun mixture of natural history and wartime public information.
Drama-documentary 1939 15 mins Location: Treorchy/Treorci
The Ocean Coal Co. employed not just miners but also shepherds, as evidenced here. Tom Jones of Treorchy protects the company's assets above ground with care and great skill.
Amateur film 1950 18 mins Silent Location: Lone Barn Fm
Cowboys, Carnivals and Mayors on the slide appear alongside the most beserk and hilarious donkey race you'll ever see in Sussex
Amateur film 1950 2 mins Silent Location: Brighton
Brighton's crowds thrill to the sight of Billy Smart's Circus parading through their town in this film from the 1950s
Amateur film 1970 8 mins Location: Newchapel
Enjoy this heartwarming film about neglected horses, ponies and donkeys being re-habilitated at 'Cherry Tree Farm' in leafy Surrey
Non-Fiction 1930 2 mins Silent Location: Sennen
Sink or swim as Rub and his chums are set adrift
Drama-documentary 1995 17 mins Location: Brixton
Queer activist and artist Ajamu prepares to leave Brixton for an exhibition of his work in his hometown, Huddersfield
Current affairs 1978 27 mins Location: Brixton
World in Action interviews the residents of Haycroft Road, Brixton as a controversial by-election stokes concerns about race and immigration.
Government sponsored film 1969 12 mins Location: Brixton
Beach, church and carnival – Chief Inspector of Brixton Police sent to Trinidad to learn about West Indian customs.
Amateur film 1967 5 mins Silent Location: Brixton
Its retro gifts galore at baby Michelle's first birthday party captured in this home movie from Brixton
Amateur film 1966 5 mins Silent Location: Brixton
The whole family turns out to celebrate a christening at a local church in Angell Town, Brixton.
Drama 1962 81 mins Location: Brixton
Lloyd Reckord stars as a gifted student confronting the race and class divide in 1960s Brixton.
Documentary 1980 17 mins Location: Crossmaglen
Experience life in Crossmaglen by spending the day with Minnie Clarke.
Documentary 1974 7 mins Location: Dunmurry
Artist William Campbell introduces the tools of his trade as he paints for Ulster Television’s cameras
1951 mins Location: Leeds
Campaigning film 1978 17 mins
A brief encounter between film director David Lean and Leonard Cheshire, who speaks about his work in India for disabled people
News 1986 52 mins Location: Plymouth
This documentary charts the progress and challenges of disabled people living in the community.
The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
