This film is part of Free

Sir Galahad Jnr

The woes of a small boy Galahad who tries to do the right thing.

Amateur film 1930 3 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

A kind hearted boy is punished for his good deed when he comes to the rescue of a girl on his street. This tender drama recalls the joys and cruelties of childhood. Filmed in a neighbourhood in Newcastle upon Tyne in the 1930s, a city street, with no cars in sight, is a playground for the children and skipping is the game of choice. Contemporary attitudes to corporal punishment have changed too, and the harsh smack meted out by the boy’s mother is likely to make you squirm.

This film is part of a unique and eclectic collection, which dates back to the pioneering early decades of amateur cinematography. Back in 1927, James Cameron gathered together a group of men and women (four of each) interested in making moving pictures. They formed the Newcastle branch of the Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA), one of only five in Britain at the time, and still operating in the city today.