This film is part of Free

Title of error

The Landing of Savage South Africa at Southampton

Members of a South African performance troupe arrive for an Earl's Court date

Non-Fiction 1899 Silent

Overview

WKL Dickson and his large format Biograph camera was at Southampton to catch the arrival of the 1899 visit of the Savage South Africa performance troupe, due to perform at Earl's Court's Empress Theatre as part of the Greater Britain Exhibition. The black members of the troupe have been assembled in costume by the impresario Frank Fillis who we can see darting about. The show, which subsequently toured the UK, was primarily equestrian, with lots of stunt riding by Fillis and his wife among other performers, and was designed along the lines of the hugely popular Buffalo Bill's Wild West. It included African dances and battle recreations from the recent 'Matabele' war, where the British South African Company were pitted against the Ndebele Kingdom. The troupe was assembled by Fillis in South Africa and with warriors from the Zulu and Swazi tribes, Boer families and mounted policeman, as well as African wild life including elephants, lions and tigers.

Genres

Non-Fiction

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

Watch for free

Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A

Short interview 2024 24 mins

Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Watch for free

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.

Watch for free

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.

Watch for free

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.