The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Rocester Festival 1979
The Rocester Toppers and the Wakebourne Band ("...19 drums - one fiddle...") keep the carnival era alive in 1979.
From the collection of:
Overview
Rocester in Staffordshire is home to the JCB digger and the firm's vehicles feature in this film of the town's 1979 annual town festival, which was shot by Les Humphries. Topical references abound from the Dove Lane Dead End Kids, who are channelling the spirit of punk, to a float featuring the Post Office's then highly popular telephone bird 'Buzby'. However, as is common with carnivals, many other floats and costumes wouldn't have been out of place in the 1930s.
Related
Knebworth Pop Festival Knebworth Pop Festival
News 1976 5 mins Location: Knebworth Ho
Free food' and 'free religion' is the mantra of some festival goers ahead of the Rolling Stones' appearance at Knebworth. And for the local publican, it's big business!
The Sidmouth Folk Festival The Sidmouth Folk Festival
Current affairs 1970 7 mins Location: Sidmouth
International folk bands and troupes put on an act at Sidmouth
Aldeburgh Festival Aldeburgh Festival
Short documentary 1963 13 mins Location: Aldeburgh
By 1963, Suffolk's Aldeburgh Festival was very much on the world music map but the annual invasion of 'foreigners' didn't go down well with all the locals.
Rave Rave
Documentary 1997 12 mins
Partying like it's 1997. We follow a rave DJ instigator rigging up decks in abandoned warehouses, a nosebleed 'techno tourist' who chases the hardcore around Europe and a girl addicted to... partying.
Frank at 'Cities in the Park' Frank at 'Cities in the Park'
Amateur film 1991 4 mins Silent Location: Heaton Park
Sunday in the park with Frank Sidebottom and the Manchester music mob.
Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill Carnival
Amateur film 1976 2 mins Silent Location: Notting Hill
Music, dancing and community characterise this short film from Notting Hill Carnival, 1976.
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.