National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Road to Yesterday
Widgey Raphael Newman, the short-lived, extraordinarily-named director of this period piece, has assembled attractive images of Wales but beware the commentary!
From the collection of:
Overview
The narrator of this period piece - a travelogue of Wales, heartily imbued with smugness, sexism and a derogatory view of the 'natives' (although a particularly fervent and patriotic admiration is reserved for the miners and the Pontypridd chainworkers) – hopes that the viewer will enjoy a journey full of adventure and amusement to visit the people who dwell in the “land of yesterday”.
Not much is known of the short-lived creator of this film that was possibly made to entertain British troops overseas during WWII. Widgey Raphael Newman – who was born in Bedfordshire’s county town in 1900 and died in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1944 - worked for Gaumont and was involved with early sound experiments in Britain. He set up Delta Pictures which company made films at Bushey Studios, making e.g. travelogues. He also directed ‘Castle Sinister’, one of the earliest British horror films, in 1932, a ‘mad scientist’ story that is a ‘lost’ film i.e. no known copy extant.
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