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.
This film is part of Free
Cine Club
John Clague's unusual portmanteau film features Brylcreem coiffed photographers, bookies, bouffant bridesmaids and off-beat narratives
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Overview
This unusual film from John Clague opens with a man looking through a Canon QL camera. We then see a forlorn looking man, in a dirty mac, enter a betting shop. He tears up his losing betting slips. Next, inside Erricks camera shop, a man brings a waterlogged camera for repair. In darkness another man passes shop fronts at night. On a shelf sits the Canon camera with its price tag. We follow a wedding party being photographed after which we see films being developed into prints.
John Clague was a keen amateur filmmaker based in Herne Bay who produced an annual newsreel of this town from 1934 to 1970. He started by using 9.5mm film, progressing to 16mm film by the 1950s. These films represent an important record of Herne Bay spanning 36 years, including a fascinating film about local Air Raid Precautions. He also made a number of films about and set in Canterbury, including a colour film of the city’s Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951.
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