The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
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They Act Like Magic
Charming fantasy adventure filmed by a prep schoolmaster and starring the pupils at the school. Schoolboys search for a fairytale princess.
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Overview
Children's fantasy adventure filmed in 1938. Schoolboys search their village for a princess, giving each animal on their journey a ‘magic pill’, hoping to restore a princess to human form.
As well as recording local events, Anthony C. Wilson, a schoolmaster at a boys preparatory school, scripted and produced a number of short films starring his pupils. These thrilling stories would inspire his later work, scripting radio plays for the BBC’s ‘Children’s Hour’, and writing his own books featuring the popular characters, boy detectives Norman and Henry Bones.
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