This film is part of Free
Ut Proficias
A day in the life of a school - filmed by a pupil who later became one of Britain's best documentary makers.
Overview
This day in the life of Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, is doubly fascinating: a glimpse into the daily rituals of a 1950s public school and the juvenilia of a great filmmaker. Pupil Michael Grigsby (1936-2013) headed the school photographic society and was the driving force behind this film and its companion piece No Tumbled House (also on BFI Player). He went on to become one of our greatest film and television documentary makers.
Grigsby appears on-screen in the shot which starts at 15:12. The director's many masterpieces as a mature filmmaker include Enginemen (1959), A Life Apart (1973) and Living on the Edge (1987). There are few obvious similarities between these poetic, socially conscious documentaries and his school home movies - except a palpable enthusiasm for diving in and exploring the film medium. Other Abingdon alumni include actor Tom Hollander, politician Francis Maude and all five members of Radiohead. In 2004, partly inspired by the rediscovery of the 1950s films and with the blessing and initial mentoring of Grigsby himself, the school set up a new Abingdon Film Unit. It has produced over 100 films, mostly documentary and animation, several of which have been shown at film festivals in the UK and abroad.
Related
Paper Boat Paper Boat
Amateur film 1949 22 mins Silent
Prize-winning amateur film about the fleeting affair between a housewife and a young man on a summer day.
Coming Shortly Coming Shortly
Amateur film 1954 4 mins Silent Location: High Wycombe
Silly silent film fun and thrills abound in this award-winning 1954 amateur short spoofing the world of Hollywood trailers.
Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll Midsummer Madness - An Idiotic Idyll
Amateur film 1933 2 mins Silent
Four bright young things enact a midsummer's love tryst among the daisies in this short, well-crafted amateur fiction film.
Ladies Hoo Doo Ladies Hoo Doo
Amateur film 1965 19 mins Location: Harrow
Knitting comes in handy when making a film – a comical take on amateur filmmaking by the ladies of a local Pinner film club
Jocelyn in Wonderland Jocelyn in Wonderland
Amateur film 1961 13 mins Silent
Tired little Jocelyn, in her National Health specs, falls asleep in the garden and wakes up in Wonderland in this amateur re-telling of Lewis Carroll's classic.
Stephen the Magician Stephen the Magician
Home movie 1962 3 mins Silent Location: Castleford
A young magician impresses his sister by making a dog appear from under a bucket, and by demonstrating the magic of film itself.
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.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.