This film is part of Free
Samson Junior
A five-year-old strongman demonstrates his credentials for the camera and assembled onlookers.
Overview
The "Infant Hercules of Deepcut", aka five-year-old prodigy John Mann, is the (super)hero of this winsome newsreel. John showcases a succession of 'amazing stunts', from lifting improbably heavy weights with his teeth to acting as a 'human anvil', balancing a large rock on his stomach while an older boy beats it with a hammer. Questionable as news, this story nevertheless had the kind of ready popular appeal the newsreels lapped up.
The Sandow referred to in an intertitle ("Sandow please note!") is Prussian-born Eugen Sandow, considered the father of modern bodybuilding, who took up residence in Britain in the early 1900s and ran a profitable business from Holland Park, dispensing tips and advice to legions of admirers. We'll probably never know what the great man made of his young challenger - Sandow died aged 58 just a few months after this film was originally shown.
Related
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'.
Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland
Inside Film 2012 27 mins
L.A. Confidential's screenwriter explains why he thinks writer's block is a myth, and reveals Clint Eastwood's unique powers of persuasion.
Olivier Assayas (Masterclass) Olivier Assayas (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2010 41 mins
Irma Vep writer/director Assayas moved from film journalism to filmmaking – a fascinating journey told with disarming honesty to Jonathan Romney.
Roger Corman in Conversation Roger Corman in Conversation
Inside Film 2013 61 mins
Jack Nicholson, Boris Karloff, Francis Coppola and making movies in five days – prepare yourself for Corman wisdom.