They Act Like Magic

From the collection of

East Anglian Film Archive at the University of East Anglia
The East Anglian Film Archive, the UK's first regional film archive, offers a unique record of the East of England's social and cultural history. As part of the University of East Anglia, we continue to lead moving image heritage research and inspire audience participation through community projects and events. Our collections represent a broad range of amateur and professional creativity, from 1896 to the present day.

They Act Like Magic


Charming fantasy adventure filmed by a prep schoolmaster and starring the pupils at the school. Schoolboys search for a fairytale princess.

Children's fantasy adventure filmed in 1938. Schoolboys search their village for a princess, giving each animal on their journey a ‘magic pill', hoping to restore a princess to human form.

As well as recording local events, Anthony C. Wilson, a schoolmaster at a boys preparatory school, scripted and produced a number of short films starring his pupils. These thrilling stories would inspire his later work, scripting radio plays for the BBC's ‘Children's Hour', and writing his own books featuring the popular characters, boy detectives Norman and Henry Bones.


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