This film is part of Free
Accrington Catholic Procession (1912)
Filmed record of a local parade crammed with detail and charm.
Overview
This late Mitchell and Kenyon epic paints a superbly detailed portrait of a pre-WWI Catholic community - layered by clerical hierarchy, class, age, gender, cassock, surplice, suit and frock, bonnet, boater and bowler. The pageantry betrays its mixed roots in recent migration and old local families: Irish blood with English heart. Finally all pomp is burst by a joyous spill-out on to the street.
By 1912, the Mitchell and Kenyon film company was a shadow of its former self, no longer whizzing round Britain on behalf of a wide network of showmen, but instead confined to recording occasional local events in the filmmakers' Lancashire heartlands. Their coverage of the Whit procession to Accrington's Sacred Heart church feels studied and tired when compared with the infectious high-spiritedness of so many of the shorter films the producers had made in their pioneering days. All the same, at a time when everyone's films (not just M&K's) were getting longer, and film itself more familiar, what this film loses in vitality and brevity, it gains in documentary value. It would take endless viewings to pick up all the cultural details packed into this fascinating film.
Related
Blue Coat Children Marching to Curzon Hall, Birmingham (1901) Blue Coat Children Marching to Curzon Hall, Birmingham (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
Church school pupils set off for a trip to the famous Birmingham entertainment hall.
Manchester Catholics Whitsuntide Procession (1904) Manchester Catholics Whitsuntide Procession (1904)
Non-Fiction 1904 11 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A damp and murky day greets the annual Whitsuntide Catholic procession in Edwardian Manchester.
Carnival Processions in Birkenhead (1902) Carnival Processions in Birkenhead (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 13 mins Silent Location: Birkenhead
May Queens and drag queens, cadets and clowns: thousands turn out for an Edwardian fundraiser in the Merseyside town.
Congregation Leaving New Jerusalem Church in Accrington (1902) Congregation Leaving New Jerusalem Church in Accrington (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Accrington
An Edwardian congregation emerges after Sunday service in Accrington, Lancashire.
Southport Carnival and Trades Procession (1902) Southport Carnival and Trades Procession (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 5 mins Silent Location: Southport
Colourful carnival floats in the Lancashire seaside resort of Southport.
Manchester Italian Catholic Procession (1902) Manchester Italian Catholic Procession (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Manchester
Residents of Manchester's own 'Little Italy' put on a display of religious pomp during the city's annual Whit Walk.
Accrington Parade (1901) Accrington Parade (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 5 mins Silent Location: Accrington
Marching bands and local volunteers fill the streets of the Lancashire town.
Baden-Powell Opening Accrington's Ambulance Hall Baden-Powell Opening Accrington's Ambulance Hall
Non-Fiction 1904 4 mins Silent Location: Accrington
A magnificent procession marks the Boer War hero's arrival in Lancashire in a stunningly-preserved film.
Coronation Festivities at Accrington (1902) Coronation Festivities at Accrington (1902)
Documentary 1902 8 mins Silent Location: Accrington
The Lancashire town greets Edward VII's big day with a cheery spectacle.
Proclamation of King Edward VII, Market Place, Accrington (1901) Proclamation of King Edward VII, Market Place, Accrington (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Accrington
The Edwardian era kicks off with the proclamation of the new King.
Congregation Leaving New Jerusalem Church in Accrington (1902) Congregation Leaving New Jerusalem Church in Accrington (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Accrington
An Edwardian congregation emerges after Sunday service in Accrington, Lancashire.
Visit of Sir George Cotton at Accrington (1902) Visit of Sir George Cotton at Accrington (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 1 mins Silent Location: Accrington
A small crowd greets a local Conservative parliamentary candidate at Accrington station.
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.