This film is part of Free
'Tenants in Revolt'
Cracking partisan portrait of the Stepney Tenants' Defence League's fight against rogue landlords in London's East End
Overview
These 1930s Eastenders faced as much drama as their modern fictional counterparts, if not more. The Stepney Tenants' Defence League was an organised response to rising rents and often slum-like conditions that flourished in the late 1930s. This filmic document of the protests is obviously partisan, but offers a privileged view inside the campaign of organisers like Maurice "Tubby" Rosen, and Clara Garrett, who led the tenants' committee of the Flower & Dean Street tenements.
There were a growing number of rent strikes in East London in the late-1930s, which lead to the creation of organisations like the Stepney Tenants' Defence League and overlapped with a growing Communist Party membership in the area. One of the leaders of the STDL, Phil Piratin, was MP for Mile End from 1945 to 1950, making him one of the last two Communist Party MPs in Britain. The outbreak of WWII in 1939 led to the introduction of rent controls, cementing some of the gains such protests had won, but otherwise largely parking them for the duration. The Blitz would ultimately do as much for slum clearance as any political campaign.
Related
A Boy's Life in the East End A Boy's Life in the East End
Amateur film 1930 11 mins Silent Location: Stepney
In this intimate depiction of 1930s youth culture, of See how life plays out through the eyes of the young boys of Stepney, East London.
Sidney Street Siege Sidney Street Siege
Non-Fiction 1911 6 mins Silent Location: Stepney
For real: the famous gunfight in Stepney caught on camera as it happened.
1935 Silver Jubilee 1935 Silver Jubilee
Non-Fiction 1935 11 mins Silent Location: Stepney
A dazzling portrait of Stepney in high spirits, celebrating the 25-year reign of King George V.
Knees Up, Mother Brown Knees Up, Mother Brown
Documentary 1964 12 mins Location: London
70 is definitely the new 20 in this heart-warming 1960s documentary portrait of the Darby and Joan Club for elderly Cockneys
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
L.C.C. Nursery School L.C.C. Nursery School
Amateur film 1938 7 mins Silent Location: Stepney
Work hard, play hard, rest hard - this London County Council nursery in the East End strikes the right balance.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Luke Bean of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Samantha Arnold of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.
Horace Ové on Pressure Horace Ové on Pressure
Inside Film 2005 36 mins
The acclaimed director discusses his landmark film in this interview from 2005.