The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Towers
Brimham Rocks provides the perfect setting for an entrancing and hypnotic enactment of a primitive ritual in front of bemused sightseers.
From the collection of:
Overview
This is a rare film of an early performance by the IOU Theatre Company at Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire, in the summer of 1977. It shows a woman wearing large wooden shoes which are so shaped that she can only walk on blocks that the shoes fit into. Figures create a path for her, moving the blocks into place as she walks along. Before her, carpets are thrashed, filling the air with brightly coloured powder to the sound of rhythmic drumming. Filmmakers, Brodnax Moore and Annette Kuhn.
Formed in 1976, this was one of the first performances of IOU Theatre Company, an arts organisation based in Halifax and still active, celebrating 40 years in 2016. ‘Towers’ was created to be performed on Brighton beach, while a version of the show was also filmed at Bolton Abbey and toured Yorkshire. Brodnax Moore began drawing cartoons in the 1960s; Annette Kuhn, Professor of Film Studies at the University of London, has written extensively on film and representation. The live music featured trombonist Georgie Bourne and Lou Glandfield on drums. David Wheeler, the current Arts Director with IOU, was also involved; although not so the maverick saxophonist Lol Coxhill, who worked with IOU at the time.
Related
Mining Review 25th Year No. 9 Mining Review 25th Year No. 9
1972 10 mins Location: Mayfair
A painterly profile of County Durham's brilliant miner-artist Tom McGuinness.
Figures in a Landscape Figures in a Landscape
Documentary 1953 17 mins Silent Location: St Ives
A poetic portrait of sculptor Barbara Hepworth and the otherworldly Cornish landscapes which inspired her.
Dancers Dancers
1978 29 mins
Impressionistic portrait of life as a dancer in London’s Ballet Rambert.
Giacometti Giacometti
Documentary 1967 14 mins
Spend a few intense minutes with Giacometti in his Paris studio and see him at work on his striking sculptures.
Portrait of David Hockney Portrait of David Hockney
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1972 13 mins
Filmed at the time Hockney was painting Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, this compelling study concentrates on the textures and light which surround the artist in his home and studio.
Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
Documentary 1984 61 mins
Discover the 'name behind the hairstyle', in this essential portrait of the bard of Salford, aka John Cooper Clarke.
Wonders of Yorkshire Wonders of Yorkshire
Amateur film 1974 10 mins Location: Kilburn
Rocks resembling alien creatures, a giant white horse, wooden mice, a cave where a famous prophetess lived, and a teddy turned to stone.
Beautiful Yorkshire Beautiful Yorkshire
Amateur film 1936 12 mins Silent Location: Harrogate
Sedate cars drive by the Stray at Harrogate, where stately ladies serenely walk, while a lonely woman in a glides by in a punt at Knaresborough.
Yorkshire Tour No. 2 Yorkshire Tour No. 2
Documentary 1972 25 mins Location: Bridlington
Having given up the ghost as Martin Hopkirk, Kenneth Cope provides the banter as we tour Yorkshire, while maverick show jumper Harvey Smith helps decipher the Yorkshire ethos.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.