19 June 2006
University of Sheffield discovers oldest British film
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have uncovered the first ever fiction film made in Britain. Filmed in April 1895 by early cinema pioneer Birt Acres, the silent 'Arrest of a Pickpocket' is just one minute long, and is the first British fiction film made. The groundbreaking discovery of the film was made when Sue Bristow, a descendent of George Williams, a photographer and showman from the Midlands, generously donated a collection of old films, photographs and letters to the National Fairground Archive at the University of Sheffield in July 2005.
The collection comprises 16 historic nitrate films in total, including some of the earliest films produced by Thomas Edison, the American inventor of the lightbulb, early film and cameras. The films, which were shown to public audiences at travelling fairs in 1896 contain extraordinary scenes including a young boy boxing a kangaroo and a chimpanzee doing a serpentine dance.
The University of Sheffield is currently having vital restoration work carried out on the collection of films, which were dangerously close to disintegration when they became part of the University's National Fairground Archive collection. The family are delighted with the news of the discovery, as they were not aware of the historical significance of the film collection that lay undisturbed for over a century.
Dr Vanessa Toulmin, Director of the National Fairground Archive at the University of Sheffield said: "This really is a discovery of huge significance for the history of British cinema. For many years we have known by looking at catalogues and contemporary evidence that Birt Acres' 'Arrest of a Pickpocket' was the first fiction film ever made in the UK, but until now it was assumed that it hadn't survived. The restoration work being carried out on this and the other historic films means that we will be able to enjoy these fascinating films within the context of the fairground entertainments they were part of."
Sue Bristow, great-granddaughter of George Williams, added: "The family are thrilled - it's a wonderful discovery to know that these films are being preserved for posterity and that future generations will be able to watch them."
Dr Toulmin is planning to screen the recovered films at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy in October 2006.
Notes for Editors: As the films are still undergoing restoration treatments, we are unable to provide clips of the films for broadcast.
To interview Dr Vanessa Toulmin about the films, please call her directly on
07989 030034.
Still images from seven of the recovered films are available - please contact Danielle Reeves in the University of Sheffield's press office on 0114 222 5339 or email d.reeves@sheffield.ac.uk
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