This one should be right up your street, especially if that is a Victorian terrace in London… Go right back to the beginnings of British film history with this short course devised by the V&A Museum and the BFI and led by Mike Berlin and Bryony Dixon. It is called Living Pictures: Victorians on Film.
The course takes place in early November. If you book for the in-person version, you will be signed up for a study day at the V&A on Friday 6 November, which concludes with a screening, a London walking tour the following day. Then on Monday 9 November, there is a second study day at BFI Southbank, culminating in a screening of The Great Victorian Moving Picture Show, accompanied by Stephen Horne and followed by a Q&A. There is an online version, which gets you a livestream of the first, V&A, study day.
This is the official blurb.
Queen Victoria’s reign is rightly celebrated for its remarkable advances in industry, transport, science, and culture. Yet one crucial innovation is too often missed: the moving pictures, the last great invention of the age. This omission is striking, given that film changed the way we see the world forever. Even before the French Lumière brothers staged their first demonstrations in Paris in 1895, British filmmakers were already beginning to make their mark.
Join us at V&A South Kensington and BFI Southbank for a study experience developed in collaboration with the BFI as we consider a range of fascinating materials from the late Victorian period. Specially selected objects from the V&A’s archive will be examined alongside screenings of the BFI’s stunning restored prints from its Victorian collection. Through a unique encounter between film and objects, we will challenge assumptions about this moment in British history, the invention of film, and even Victoria herself.
