This film is part of Free
River Scenery China
Beautiful panoramas of a busy Chinese wharf evoke the river life of yore.
Travelogue 1921 1 mins Silent
Overview
These beautiful panoramas of a busy wharf (somewhere) in China evoke the river life of yore: sampans sail serenely by, rowing boats laden with passengers and cargo jostle for a mooring on the stone pier, and stevedores lump heavy cargo on their backs to shore. Some curious cargo too – look out for the gentleman wearing a pith helmet apparently carrying a gramophone horn.
We’ve almost no background information on the making of this film. But its style and subject are similar to Riverside Scenes in China (c.1922) – long takes, wide-angle shots, a fixed tripod, ‘in camera’ editing, and a nautical theme. Could we hazard a guess that the two are related? Perhaps they are fragments of production footage for an unrealised project?
Related
Somewhere in China
A Stilted City. Chungking. China A Stilted City. Chungking. China
Travelogue 1930 1 mins Silent Location: Chongqing
Life among the limpet-like buildings clinging to the steep banks of the Yangtze in southwest China.
Mongolia Mongolia
Amateur film 1935 42 mins Silent
Mongolian men show off their prowess in wrestling, archery and horse racing, known as the “three manly games”.
Homework and Street Scenes in China Homework and Street Scenes in China
Travelogue 1908 7 mins
Intimate vignettes of crafters, beggars and labourers in the workshops, on the streets and eating in the outdoor kitchens of imperial China.
Among the Tribes in South-West China Among the Tribes in South-West China
Documentary 1948 37 mins Silent
This alluring travelogue follows a missionary on his colourful journey into the ethnically diverse mountains of Yunnan, south west China.
Rice Cultivation in the Si-kiang Delta, South China Rice Cultivation in the Si-kiang Delta, South China
Documentary 1937 2 mins Silent
An exceptionally detailed look at the process of rice cultivation, from planting to harvesting to pounding, in the Xi Jiang Delta, Guangdong Province.
An Oriental Venice An Oriental Venice
Travelogue 1925 2 mins Silent Location: Hangzhou
Enjoy a cruise along the ancient canals of Zhejiang Province in eastern China with this gorgeous stencil-coloured travelogue
New
Southward on the "Quest" Southward on the "Quest"
Documentary 1922 68 mins Silent
Potent record of the 1921 Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic expedition, marked by the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Across Bolivia Across Bolivia
1930 62 mins
Unreleased footage of an expedition in Bolivia, filmed by British explorer and naturalist JC Bee-Mason.
Cape to Cairo Cape to Cairo
Travelogue 1926 1 mins
The Court Treatt expedition arrives in Luxor in this fragment from the film record of their journey across Africa.
Under Sail in the Frozen North Under Sail in the Frozen North
1926 40 mins Silent
Compelling travel feature edited from footage of the 1925-26 Worsley Algarsson Arctic expedition.
Filmmakers in Focus: Michael Haneke Filmmakers in Focus: Michael Haneke
Inside Film 2021 41 mins
In this illustrated discussion, BFI programmer-at-large Geoff Andrew and Catherine Wheatley, the author of two books on Michael Haneke’s work, examine what makes him such a distinctive, important and often controversial cinematic artist.
Filmmakers in Focus: Věra Chytilová Filmmakers in Focus: Věra Chytilová
Inside Film 2021 41 mins
Film critic Carmen Gray and film writer Ela Bittencourt discuss three films by trailblazing Czech filmmaker Věra Chytilová.