Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Portsmouth & Southampton during the summer of 1929
Come aboard a jolly mini-cruise around the Solent in this fascinating 1929 film from Ralph Staley - featuring his wife Ellen, his daughter Pam and the Mauretania
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Overview
Arriving at Portsmouth Harbour we see Ellen Staley and daughter Pam prior to sailing onto the Solent. After seeing yachts at Ryde Pier, we berth at Southampton. Boarding the Mauretania for a quick visit - we see many other ocean liners at their berths. At Calshot, we pick up an RAF passenger, before disembarking at Cowes, when we visit the beach at Seaview. Warships and submarines are seen as we sail past Southsea’s Clarence Pier before journey’s end at Portsmouth Harbour.
Ralph Staley ran a draper's shop in Bognor Regis in the first half of the last century. He was also a keen film maker who filmed various aspects of family life including outings, holidays and boat trips - as seen in this film. He would also experiment with different types of film like Dufaycolor, an early colour film, as well as using techniques like slow-motion and reverse action.
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