The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Quest for Youth
A woman discovers youth is only skin deep when a mad professors experiment with formula 595 fails.
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Overview
A woman consults a mad professor when she dreams of regaining her youth. An experiment with the mysterious formula 595 fails and she discovers youre only young once. But not before shopping and a spot of hedonistic partying with some of Teessides bright young things.
The anti-ageing fever and healthy body culture that gripped the world in the 1920s and 30s is acted out in this oddly entertaining film by the Tees-Side Cine Club, with Middlesbrough founder Wilf Maxwell behind the camera, and C. Roeder directing, and responsible for the unconvincing make-up for the ageing lead actress. Trick visual effects with double exposure are used in a dream scenario and age-reversing scene on the operating table. The assistant director and editor was local clock maker Wilf Shaw, who also ran The Film Unit, Middlesbrough, in the 1930s with Maxwell and Ralf Ayres, producing accomplished documentaries for clients such as the local branch of the Co-operative.
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