Peasantry around Smyrna before the War

Spellbinding scenes of peasant life in the remote and rural villages of Western Anatolia, modern-day Turkey.

These spellbinding scenes of peasant life in the remote and rural villages of Western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey) were filmed over 100 years ago. They're an astonishing record of a long lost way of life, revealing something of the everyday hardships and brutalities of work and leisure - there's gruelling, manual farm labour; and a street entertainer's chain-tethered dancing bears and monkey.

This film was originally published by pioneer film producer Charles Urban's Kineto Co. in 1911, as 'Peasants of Asia Minor'. Urban was an astute businessman as well as an accomplished producer, and is well known for cannily monetising his back catalogue - frequently reusing, re-editing, and republishing his earlier films.