Sponge Mix

From the collection of

London’s Screen Archives is a network of over 50 organisations with a collective vision – to preserve and share London’s history on film. The network is managed by Film London and we work with our partners to digitise, preserve, and offer access to their moving image collections.

Sponge Mix

London’s Screen Archives
Harrow
1956-01-01
Sound
10m

Pincurls, pools and a paralytic priest – a housewife's win on the pools leads to a mix-up with the gin and amusing results

A fantastic example of an amateur comedy with a professional touch about a housewife who discovers she has won the pools. Slapstick ensues as she celebrates her win with a tipple before mistaking the gin for milk and adding a little kick to her Birds sponge mix. When the sweet-toothed vicar comes to call he soon feels the effects of the boozy dessert, collapsing under his bike on the way home.

The postwar period saw significant growth in the field of amateur filmmaking. This short fiction film is a great example of an aspirational amateur production made by ‘the Ladies' of a cine society whose use of slapstick, titles and end credits, establishing shots and continuity editing show an attempt to adopt features of professional filmmaking. The film will appeal to lovers of all things vintage with authentic pin-curl hairstyles, floral pinafores and a 1950s kitchen complete with pantry! The film was made by the Pinner Cine Society; set up in 1951 it is now the Harrow Film Makers.

Amateur Auteurs

Ever dreamed of shooting your own movie? These pre-digital cine-enthusiasts did - with all the passion and devotion of the true auteur.

These low- (or no-) budget creations reach beyond simple point-and-shoot, back-garden efforts towards something more ambitious and skilful, revealing their authors' passion for film and their often astonishing ingenuity with limited resources. No desktop editing software or digital special effects for these amateur auteurs. The films include fiction and documentary, competition prizewinners and private labours of love. They may be the work of cine-clubbers or individual enthusiasts. But they all show a devotion to filmmaking that far transcends hobbyism. So look out for the delightful handmade intertitles, table-top special effects and library soundtracks which decorate many of the quirky stories, ultra-local documentaries and painstakingly composed home movies featured here.