Country Sports

A well-attended sports meet with sack-racing, high-jump and other games.

Notable for the variety of its shots, this film provides us with a broad picture of the event - though not enough to tell where it is. Where another filmmaker may have preferred to capture a top-bill event in its entirety, the footage uses in-camera editing (fading to black between each sequence) to give us glimpses into several different competitions.

Originating from the collection of Charles Goodwin Norton - who began making and exhibiting films with a Velograph camera in 1897 - this film may have been made by Norton himself. It is a happy example of Norton's distinctive 'home-movie' style, which provides charm and interest, even if framing and accurate frame rates are sometimes found wanting.