Rentals

Archive Treasures

Film is a collective memory, preserved with skill and dedication by the archivists' art.

In addition to promoting the new, the London Film Festival champions the old. Restorations of rarities, classics or films long believed lost are showcased every year. Here is a taster of some of the titles rescued from oblivion by the work of the BFI National Archive and other organisations. Film is a notoriously fragile and unstable medium; it is easily damaged - sometimes beyond repair – and degrades over time. So careful conservation and restoration are essential to our enjoyment and understanding of the medium's history and the archivists' art.

Shooting StarsShooting Stars

Drama1928101 minsSilentDirector: A.V. Bramble

Anthony Asquith's (A Cottage on Dartmoor, Underground), fabulous silent film set in a British movie studio in the 1920s.

Rent for £3.50

The Raging MoonThe Raging Moon

Drama1971112 minsDirector: Bryan Forbes

Sensitive and ground-breaking romance between couple who are both wheelchair users, played by Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman.

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The Epic of EverestThe Epic of Everest

Non-Fiction192487 minsDirector: J.B.L. Noel

Premiere. A breathtaking and poignant account of the valiant 1924 British assault on the awe-inspiring peak, beautifully restored by the BFI.

Currently unavailable

The Great White SilenceThe Great White Silence

Documentary1924107 minsSilentDirector: Herbert G. Ponting

The BFI Archive's restoration of Herbert Ponting's official film record of Captain Scott's tragic expedition to the South Pole, with a new score by Simon Fisher Turner.

Rent for £3.50

Animal FarmAnimal Farm

Animation & Artists Moving Image195472 minsDirector: Joy Batchelor and John Halas

Sixty years young, this British cartoon of George Orwell’s political ‘fairy story’ is still the most abiding adaptation of this powerful, cautionary tale for all ages.