This film is part of Free
London 1971
A gently meandering home movie tour of London, with rare shots of an early Gay Pride march.
Overview
Take a gently meandering home movie tour of London, shot throughout 1971 by Phil Munnoch - better known as punk chronicler Captain Zip. Munnoch captures an eclectic mix of hidden corners and iconic landmarks, including the old Covent Garden Market, Tottenham Court Road’s Scientology HQ, Soho Square and Oxford Street, and some of the big West End cinemas and theatres. We then cross the Thames to the South Bank, Lambeth Palace and Clapham’s Transport Museum.
Look out for a very brief but rare glimpse of one of London’s earliest Gay Pride marches (from 06:55), filmed on 30 October 1971 - before the first official UK Gay Pride rally on 1 July 1972. Munnoch added a soundtrack to the film in 1992. Captain Zip’s later films of the King's Road punk scene, filmed between 1978 and 1981, are also available to view on BFI Player.
Related
What's a Girl Like You ... What's a Girl Like You ...
Documentary 1969 52 mins Location: Vauxhall
Scintillating look at the 1960s drag renaissance, with a visit to London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Gay Black Group Gay Black Group
Magazine and Review show 1983 25 mins Location: Bloomsbury
The Gay Black Group - reasserting culture and identity on two levels.
David Is Homosexual David Is Homosexual
Amateur film 1978 38 mins Location: Lewisham
A lonely gay man discovers friends, love and activism in this rediscovered educational film made by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality
What Am I? What Am I?
Current affairs 1980 26 mins Location: Hay-on-Wye/Y Gelli Gandryll
Transgender pioneer April Ashley appears in this moving look at the challenges faced by the trans community in 1980s Britain
Illegal Tender Illegal Tender
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1987 14 mins
Queer psychedelic portrait of a young man’s desires in an industrial wasteland
Facing the Sun Facing the Sun
Drama 1980 54 mins
Sao Paulo-set love triangle drama, featuring a rare TV depiction of bisexuality.
Good-Time Girl Good-Time Girl
Crime 1948 92 mins Location: Islington
Find out what happens when a good girl goes bad in this controversial post-war Brit noir thriller starring Jean Kent.
Rubbish People Rubbish People
Documentary 1966 17 mins Location: Islington
A group of Islington slum tenants unite to protest against harassment and demand decent living conditions.
Polish Costume Dancing Polish Costume Dancing
Amateur film 1966 5 mins Silent Location: Islington
Scenes from a Polish Catholic community in North London of a Sunday service and dancing in the street.
Polish School Polish School
Amateur film 1966 7 mins Silent Location: Islington
Students of a Catholic Sunday School in Islington celebrate a Polish holiday in traditional costume.
Arsenal May 1971 Arsenal May 1971
Amateur film 1971 1 mins Silent Location: Islington
Islington welcomes home the 1971 double-winning Arsenal F.C. side including the team's first ever black player.
Library at Work Library at Work
Documentary 1922 13 mins Silent Location: Westminster
Short film celebrating several London libraries, from the grand British Museum reading room to children’s reading hours at smaller local libraries.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.