This film is part of Free
Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
Overview
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement? There were many puzzles among the hundreds of rolls of Mitchell and Kenyon's films rediscovered in 1995, and this is perhaps the greatest. The subjects seem genuinely Chinese, but who filmed them, when and where? We're certain it wasn't shot by Mitchell and Kenyon. Is it China at all? Perhaps the cameraman's flying hat is a clue.
The architecture and grounds of the second building seem incongruously western, throwing doubt on the location, although western style buildings were far from unknown in early 20th century China. The film was shot on Lumière film stock, so it may be that Mitchell and Kenyon had bought, borrowed or acquired it to show along side their own. M&K certainly never visited China, but Lumière had several cameramen there from the late 1890s, which could make these some of the oldest surviving filmed images of China. If only we could be sure...
Related
Breakers Breakers
Non-Fiction 1896 0 mins Silent
A handful of passers-by watch waves breaking gently onto a shore
Panorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney Harbour Panorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney Harbour
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins
See the royal yacht Ophir at anchor in Sydney Harbour on its tour of the Empire
Wedding Ceremony in a Church Wedding Ceremony in a Church
1900 2 mins Silent
Who doesn't love a wedding? This breezy film squeezes the whole service into two minutes flat
Crude Set Drama Crude Set Drama
Comedy 1896 1 mins Silent
A basic bit of early comic storytelling on film
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.