This film is part of Free
The King with his Fleet
The might of the Royal Navy on display during a battleship parade on the eve of WWI.
Overview
This newsreel item capturing a review of Britain's battleships off Spithead was shot just three weeks after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event which sparked WWI. An imposing patriotic spectacle and a show of naval strength, the review was an obvious choice for Topical Budget, whose camera lingers on the mighty 'King George V', one of the Navy's new super-dreadnoughts.
The Times newspaper described the “magnificent spectacle to those on shore”, as more than 200 warships paraded down the Solent in a symbolic display of British sea-power. But the mobilization exercise was also an important test of the Navy’s readiness for war, by then a fast approaching reality.
Related
Spithead Review and Regatta Spithead Review and Regatta
Amateur film 1937 4 mins Silent Location: Spithead
Eric Norman's fascinating film captures the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review – with Royal Navy warships, liners, yachts and submarines
Naval Review 1914 Naval Review 1914
Non-Fiction 1914 5 mins Silent Location: Spithead
King George V reviews the British fleet at Spithead in July 1914, as Britain steels herself for war.
Muscle - Exclusive Q&A Muscle - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 34 mins
Director Gerard Johnson talks Nia Child through the making of Muscle, an adrenalized drama that tears into the stereotypes of masculinity and male friendship.
Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 29 mins
Vicky Knight sits down with Rowan Woods for an extended discussion on the making of the film Silver Haze. *Contains Spoilers*
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.