100 Year Old Coach

1926-12-23
Silent
1m

Crowds block the streets to catch a view of a handsome old carriage at a Jewish wedding

Chance incidents reflect a changing society. The choice of a 100-year-old horse-drawn carriage as wedding transport may have been a romantic touch, or a family tradition. But by 1926, in London streets heaving with bikes, buses, cars and carts, it was to prove an impractical one. The resplendent carriage is the alien presence that gathers crowds in a break from the daily grind.

This is an unedited version of a Topical Budget newsreel story that was subsequently cut down into a shorter piece with intertitles. The identity of the couple is unknown, and though their Jewish religion is referenced in the titles (not seen here) it is unlikely to have been anything to do with the crowds or the filming. The reason the footage was captured was likely nothing more than the chance proximity of a cameraman to record the incident. Such stories could be stockpiled for use in slow news weeks.

Jewish Britain

Jewish life on screen: a century of insights and hidden histories

This collection uncovers insights, injustices and hidden histories across a century of Jewish life on British screens. It brings together documentary and first-person accounts of Jewish life in the UK, alongside historical dramas and artists’ work exploring the 20th century Jewish experience. The earliest surviving depictions of Jewish characters in British cinema offer a troubling insight into antisemitic representation, yet prejudice was later tackled head-on, with newsreels documenting the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s.

Drop in on joyous family weddings and community gatherings, and see the ways in which UK Jewry supported Jews young and old, and those fleeing persecution, in a selection of fascinating films from the 1900s to the 1980s.

This collection is generously supported by the Neil Kreitman Foundation, Shoresh Charitable Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, and Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation.