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Action in Slow Motion

A naked woman cavorts innocently at the seaside in this 1940s nudist film, strictly for artists and students only

1943 3 mins Silent Not rated

Overview

Probably shot in the 1940s, this adults-only short film - featuring full-frontal female nudity, absolutely forbidden in mainstream British cinema at the time - was produced, as the opening disclaimer makes clear, "expressly for assistance to artists and students". Anybody discovered supplying it for any other purpose rendered themselves "liable to any penalties imposed by the Authorities".

Entrusted to the BFI National Archive decades ago, this fascinating but enigmatic filmic artefact - accidentally revealing so much about the attitudes of a distant era - unfortunately bears no production credits, so nothing is known about who made it.

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