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Mediaeval Village

Laxton, an unusual Nottinghamshire village, takes the starring role in a film that was famed in its day.

1935 19 mins

Overview

The unusual village of Laxton, Nottinghamshire, is the star of this ambitious and important educational film from Gaumont-British Instructional. What makes Laxton special is the rare survival there of the open-field system of strip-farming common fields. This system, along with the history of the area, is explained with crystal clarity thanks to an inventive array of lucid techniques. With a touch of pageantry, the film paints an evocative picture of a unique living connection to feudal times.

In the field of educational filmmaking, Mediaeval Village was a genuinely famous film in its day. Greatly admired for its novel concept and fluent integration of maps, graphics and live action, it was considered a significant step forward in the use of film as a classroom teaching aid. JB Holmes was a prolific and skilled director whose career deserves to be better known. Popular historian and broadcaster RS Lambert, an academic adviser on the film, was an early governor of the BFI. A year after this film was made, he was at the centre of the 'Talking Mongoose' slander case.

Director

J.B. Holmes

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Laxton

Language

English

Subjects

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Laxton Laxton

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A unique survivor from medieval England: the ancient farming practices of Laxton in Nottinghamshire.

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