The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
The Beast of Bodmin Moor
A farmer tells all about some wild goings-on
In partnership with:
Overview
Bodmin Moor is a beautiful but creepy place to be at night and yet another sighting of the Beast of Bodmin Moor fuels speculation into why one of Britain’s most feared animals has never been caught. Despite little to no physical proof of its existence and declared a phantom by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, every now and then a story of the wild cat on the prowl killing livestock rears it ugly head (and gets eaten).
Some believe the beast to be a large black panther thought to have been imported as a fashionable tropical pet in the seventies and released into the Cornish wild when it became too big to handle. Others question whether an animal has escaped from a nearby zoo. A young boy walking beside the River Fowey in 1995 found a skull of a leopard and The Natural History Museum in London verified its authenticity but the skull had been imported into the UK as part of a leopard skin rug – with head attached or in this case detached.
Related
Hints and Hobbies No.11 Hints and Hobbies No.11
Cinemagazine 1926 14 mins Silent
Jiu-jitsu for ladies, how to get ink off a white apron and other life essentials courtesy of the 'Hints and Hobbies' team.
Lobsters Lobsters
Documentary 1936 15 mins
Follow the life cycle of the king of crustaceans in this quirky documentary by Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy.
Audrey Hepburn Test Audrey Hepburn Test
1952 6 mins Silent
The future Holly Golightly exudes a certain grace even for a modest screen test, in the earliest known colour footage of the timeless star.
Facts and Fancies Facts and Fancies
Documentary 1951 24 mins
Joan Collins gets to grips with the by-products of coal in her first screen appearance
Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service
Government sponsored film 1972 16 mins Location: London
Could computer-controlled taxis solve the traffic crisis? Maybe not, but this film's a must for technology buffs (and fans of early electronic music).
Is This Your Life? Is This Your Life?
Amateur film 1957 9 mins Silent
An unusual and visually sophisticated commentary on the routine drabness and drudgery of everyday suburban existence.
Salad Days in Bodmin Salad Days in Bodmin
Current affairs 1964 5 mins Location: Bodmin
Girls and boys of Bodmin discuss the need for youth club.
Auto Angels' Motorcycle Display Team Auto Angels' Motorcycle Display Team
News 1980 3 mins Location: Bodmin
Auto Angels get into gear in Bodmin!
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.