The Living Picture Craze: An Introduction to Victorian Film

Explore the birth of film and the end of Queen Victoria’s epic reign

Roll up! Roll up! Take your seats for the ‘Living Picture’ craze! In this course we journey back to the end of the Victorian era; a time of intense modernisation and unprecedented change.

Using the BFI’s unique collection of surviving Victorian films we will debate common myths about the period and the materials, as well as examine what the films reveal about the society that produced them.

We will be your expert guides to these incredible films, leading you through the many spectacles and curiosities made during film’s formative years, 1895-1901.

This course is designed for anyone with a passion for film and Victorian and British history. This includes lecturers, teachers and students of film, media, history or English literature.

This course is designed for anyone with a passion for film and Victorian and British history. This includes lecturers, teachers and students of film, media, history or English literature.

• Recognise different types of the earliest film materials made in the UK between 1895 and 1901.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how myths and stereotypes of the period have developed and explain what viewpoints might be more appropriate.
• Assess and discuss the origins of film (and film projection) and be able to identify who the key personalities were in its development.
• Show some comprehension of the period - the tastes and fashions, along with the entertainment industry itself - by creating a curated film programme for a specific audience.