It’s 110 years since the Lumière brothers first demonstrated their “moving pictures” to audiences in Paris… that’s a decent-sized period for which film has been available as a method of recording and interpreting social history. Of course, the medium was prohibitively expensive in the early days, so many of the first films were novelty items; waves crashing on shores, trains speeding out of tunnels.
However, the BFI has now finished restoring a huge set of films dating from 1900-1907. Found in a disused cellar in Blackburn, these documentary glimpses of working class life are the work of Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon. Collected highlights will be touring the country in February… details from the BFI.
Our ability to interpret and learn from history obviously depends on the faithful recording of events. If the US eventually does decide to imprison suspected terrorists for life, the press reports will be vital for future generations in learning how not to run a free society. That is, if they can actually believe such a thing ever happened; as Rick says, “the only reason I can cope with this at all is that I just can’t make myself believe it’s true”. It really is totally gobsmacking.