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Glamour comes to wartime Folkestone as the town hosts its first world film premiere.
Documentary 1941 6 mins
The coastal town of Folkestone was on the front line during the war, with the fear of German invasion very real. So the arrival of stars from the film Kipps, attending the first 20th Century-Fox premiere to be held outside London, brought much-needed glamour and excitement to the beleaguered residents. Actors Phyllis Calvert, Michael Redgrave and Diana Wynyard address assembled dignitaries at a formal dinner before awarding prizes at a dance.
Folkestone was selected for the honour as author H.G. Wells lived in the area from the late 1890s to 1909, having moved there to recuperate from illness. His source novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul was published in 1905. Carol Reed's 1941 film was the second screen adaptation following the 1921 silent version, which was set in Folkestone.
War 1939 9 mins
Summer 1939, and an ordinary family gets an alarming taste of war to come in this little-known Ealing Studios propaganda short.
Government sponsored film 1944 2 mins
A Peter Strausfeld animation, encouraging the public to use the telephone more sparingly in wartime.
Promotional 1941 2 mins
A trailer for Ealing's wartime drama "Ships with Wings", an all-star actioner about the Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
Promotional 1943 3 mins Silent
Gainsborough melodrama trailer, starring the most desirable cast of the period.
War 1943 36 mins Location: Cwmgiedd
The villagers of Cwmgiedd re-enact a Nazi massacre in Czechoslovakia, in Humphrey Jennings’ unforgettable propaganda film.
Documentary 1940 16 mins
Terror on the home front - literally - in this heady and eccentric brew.
Promotional 1969 10 mins Location: Folkestone
There's something for everyone in Folkestone as this promotional film claims - including lidos, fine dining, cliff railways and the weirdest fitness machines ever seen
1961 13 mins Location: Folkestone
Veteran tennis commentator Peter West takes us on a journey around a boarding school for disabled children.
Amateur film 1964 16 mins Silent Location: Gravesend
Wilf Green and his family enjoy a day out in Calais before returning to Deal for more sight-seeing in this delightful film from the mid-sixties
Amateur film 1985 5 mins Silent Location: Folkestone
Folkestone on foot is the subject of this quirky and mysterious film from the 1980s which hints that there is a lot more to the town than just a ferry terminal.
Non-Fiction 1904 7 mins Silent Location: Folkestone
From road sweepers to rollercoasters - all life is here in this stunning portrait of Folkestone in its Edwardian heyday.
Advert 1931 6 mins Silent Location: Folkestone
Sunshine and strolls in Folkestone, "the gem of the Kentish coast".
Charity appeal 2020 2 mins
Beautiful NHS fundraiser, setting Michael Rosen’s poem to powerful archive images.
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Weston Park
A stroll in the park for civilised city-dwellers in Edwardian South Yorkshire.
Non-Fiction 1924 1 mins Silent Location: Woking
The UK's first purpose-built mosque welcomes a huge crowd of worshippers - and newsreel cameras!
Comedy 1914 9 mins Silent
A vicar is caught flirting with an improperly-dressed chorus girl in this saucy silent comedy.
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