"Much of the appeal of this confusing but fascinating amateur film is a gloriously camp performance by its writer, Evelyn Waugh. He plays the Dean of Balliol College, Oxford, and based his performance on the real Dean, 'Sligger' Urquhart. Urquhart, he observed, was Catholic, homosexual, and a snob; an epithet that could as well describe the author himself after his conversion in 1930. Filming took place at Hampstead Heath, Golders Green, and the Waugh family's Hampstead back garden in the summer of 1924. In the film the Dean is under orders from the Pope and his envoy Cardinal Montefiasco to convert the English monarchy to Roman Catholicism. The Dean holds a sinister influence over the Prince of Wales, but this is counteracted by the attractions of cabaret actress Beatrice de Carolle, played by a sinuous Elsa Lanchester (The Bride of Frankenstein) in her first film role" (BFI Player).
"Scenes at Billinge Scar (near Blackburn), the Birtwistle family home, including some rather dark interior shots" (NWFA Online Database).
"Family footage shot in the garden of a house situated on The Beeches in West Didsbury; April 1925. Includes various scenes of a baby and child, sitting in a pram and playing with their nanny" (NWFA Online Database).
"Members of the Behrens Family are seen enjoying a walking holiday in the Lake District. Includes various shots of the surrounding countryside - A couple of men are seen striding across a hillside towards the camera. They are wearing plus fours and carry walking sticks. Snow covers the ground they are walking on and one of the men attempts to throw a snowball at the camera. Concludes with a shot of three men, wearing overcoats and peaked caps, standing next to a parked car eating sandwiches" (NWFA Online Database).
"Various family scenes shot in the Behrens' garden at Holly Royde in Withington; May 1925. Includes a brief shot of a nanny playing with a baby and child on the lawn - two maids, carrying trays, are seen walking past in the background. Also features a family group - mum, dad, and two young children - exiting a garden gate and walking down a suburban street (The Beeches) in West Didsbury" (NWFA Online Database).
"Footage of the Behrens family on holiday in Sandsend; June 1925. Includes various scenes of the family on the beach - Two men are seen wading through the sea, carrying a man and a boy to dry land. A large rowing boat is seen anchored in the background. - Three little girls stand on top of a sand castle, trying desperately to keep their feet dry, while a young boy shovels sand around them in an attempt to keep the in coming tide at bay. - A group of women are seen standing on a breezy hillside, dressed in outdoor clothing, carrying rucksacks and walking sticks. The film also features a brief shot of a London North Eastern Railway (L.N.E.R.) steam train departing from a platform" (NWFA Online Database).
"Various scenes of the Behrens family on holiday in Skerries in the summer of 1925. Includes nice footage of a group of toddlers and babies playing with bouncy balls, in a cliff top garden overlooking the sea. One of the children is seen pushing a very ornate push chair backwards and forwards across the grass - lots of toys litter the ground around them. Further scenes include some children in bathing costumes and caps, paddling along the waters edge; a family group sitting on a rocky shore smiling at the camera and a couple of adults swimming in the sea and drying themselves on the beach" (NWFA Online Database).
"Family footage shot in the grounds of a large house in Moorside; 1925. Some children and their nanny play on the lawn. A group of adults are seen having afternoon tea outside in the garden. Also includes shots of a young boy doing somersaults on a set of gymnast's rings. The camera remains stationary and several adults run into shot, in quick succession, and do a forward somersault using the rings. Even the nanny, who is in full uniform, has a turn" (NWFA Online Database).
"Family footage of two children and a toddler running around a garden naked. Includes a shot of the older children sat in the undergrowth and paddling in a pond with a man who has his trousers rolled up" (NWFA Online Database).
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema