This film is part of Free
Ut Proficias
A day in the life of a school - filmed by a pupil who later became one of Britain's best documentary makers.
Overview
This day in the life of Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, is doubly fascinating: a glimpse into the daily rituals of a 1950s public school and the juvenilia of a great filmmaker. Pupil Michael Grigsby (1936-2013) headed the school photographic society and was the driving force behind this film and its companion piece No Tumbled House (also on BFI Player). He went on to become one of our greatest film and television documentary makers.
Grigsby appears on-screen in the shot which starts at 15:12. The director's many masterpieces as a mature filmmaker include Enginemen (1959), A Life Apart (1973) and Living on the Edge (1987). There are few obvious similarities between these poetic, socially conscious documentaries and his school home movies - except a palpable enthusiasm for diving in and exploring the film medium. Other Abingdon alumni include actor Tom Hollander, politician Francis Maude and all five members of Radiohead. In 2004, partly inspired by the rediscovery of the 1950s films and with the blessing and initial mentoring of Grigsby himself, the school set up a new Abingdon Film Unit. It has produced over 100 films, mostly documentary and animation, several of which have been shown at film festivals in the UK and abroad.
Related
Paper Boat Paper Boat
Amateur film 1949 22 mins Silent
Prize-winning amateur film about the fleeting affair between a housewife and a young man on a summer day.
Coming Shortly Coming Shortly
Amateur film 1954 4 mins Silent Location: High Wycombe
Silly silent film fun and thrills abound in this award-winning 1954 amateur short spoofing the world of Hollywood trailers.
Amelia and the Angel Amelia and the Angel
Amateur film 1958 26 mins Location: South Kensington
A young angel scours London for her wings in this tender short by the young Ken Russell.
Ladies Hoo Doo Ladies Hoo Doo
Amateur film 1965 19 mins Location: Harrow
Knitting comes in handy when making a film – a comical take on amateur filmmaking by the ladies of a local Pinner film club
Jocelyn in Wonderland Jocelyn in Wonderland
Amateur film 1961 13 mins Silent
Tired little Jocelyn, in her National Health specs, falls asleep in the garden and wakes up in Wonderland in this amateur re-telling of Lewis Carroll's classic.
Stephen the Magician Stephen the Magician
Home movie 1962 3 mins Silent Location: Castleford
A young magician impresses his sister by making a dog appear from under a bucket, and by demonstrating the magic of film itself.
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.