Around China with a Movie Camera

Jul 18, 2016

1h 8m

★ 4.2

Take a trip back to China in the first half of the twentieth Century with this presentation of extraordinary, rare and beautiful travelogues, newsreels and home movies.

Overview

A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

BFI

Around China with a Movie Camera Trailers

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Cast

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During the brutal invasion of China in 1937 by Imperial Japanese forces, tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war are murdered and women raped in what is known simply as "The Rape of Nanking." This docudrama is a stirring account of a small band of courageous American missionaries who choose to stay in Nanking to try and protect a quarter million vulnerable Chinese civilians who are trapped in a city ruled by a savage, out of control army. Their stories are brought vividly to life through actual real-time letters and diaries as they bear witness to one of the worst wartime atrocities in history.

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4.0

The Carrot Caterpillar

Feb 1, 1911

The carrot caterpillar hides among and feeds on the leafy foliage in carrot fields. A man demonstrates how difficult it is to detect and remove them from the carrot plants. They propel themselves with their six feet and twelve suction cups. To ward off enemies, they display two horns which secrete a malodorous liquid. Before the chrysalis stage of their development, they attach themselves to a surface and two days later burst from their shell. After spending the winter as a chrysalis, they emerge as swallowtail butterflies. Once they have bathed their wings in dew and dried off, they are ready to fly. (Library of Congress)

7.4

Behemoth

Nov 11, 2015

Under the sun, the heavenly beauty of grasslands will soon be covered by the raging dust of mines. Facing the ashes and noises caused by heavy mining , the herdsmen have no choice but to leave as the meadow areas dwindle. In the moonlight, iron mines are brightly lit throughout the night. Workers who operate the drilling machines must stay awake. The fight is tortuous, against the machine and against themselves. Meanwhile, coal miners are busy filling trucks with coals. Wearing a coal-dust mask, they become ghostlike creatures. An endless line of trucks will transport all the coals and iron ores to the iron works. There traps another crowd of souls, being baked in hell. In the hospital, time hangs heavy on miners' hands. After decades of breathing coal dust, death is just around the corner. They are living the reality of purgatory, but there will be no paradise.

0.0

Funny Side of Life

Aug 1, 1963

A 30-minute compilation of clips selected by Harold Lloyd that highlight his career, plus a slightly edited presentation of THE FRESHMAN (1925)

7.4

Born in China

Aug 12, 2016

Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda bear and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby sister, and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs.

4.2

Macedonia in Pictures

Jan 1, 1923

This film was made on the occasion of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ilinden (St. Ellias Day) Rebellion. This panoramic film depicts the most significant historic figures and places situated in the Aegian, Pirin and Vardar regions.

5.9

The Brain of Soviet Russia

Apr 30, 1919

This film shows the leaders of organizations that emerged after the Russian Revolution. It is the fragment of ‘Anniversary of the Revolution’ made by Vertov in 1918.

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3.7

Brighton Street Scene

Jan 1, 1888

Lost film from 1888, directed by William Friese-Greene.

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0.0

The Torch Dance

Jan 1, 1909

A newly discovered film showing Tamara Karsavina dancing Mikhail Fokine’s ‘La Danse du Flambeau’ (‘The Torch Dance’). This performance was filmed in 1909. Tamara Karsavina’s shoes are not reinforced at the tip like today’s pointe shoes; she may have had cotton or wool stuffed into the toes of her shoes. (https://nycdancestuff.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/tamara-karsavina-michel-fokines-la-danse-du-flambeau-1909/)

8.0

Total Trust

Mar 21, 2023

By exploring the relationship between the watched and the watching, our film uncovers the trauma and hope engendered by the Chinese all-surveilling state and lends a voice to those that stand in resilient defiance of such blatant abuse of power.

0.0

A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show

Oct 25, 1992

A Christmas collection of performances from various episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show.

0.0

The Short Autumn

Nov 22, 2025

A meditation on an Alaskan autumn.

8.0

Le Baron et l'Empereur : Japon, la voie de la guerre

Oct 29, 2023

No overview available.

4.7

Comic Relief Zero

Nov 5, 2013

So, what’s the deal with Comic Relief Zero!? Sit down and shut up, so we can tell you! But seriously folks, sit down and shut up, because those dumb-faced, giggle-grabbin’ goof-troupers at Everything Is Terrible! are dishing out a stand-up comedy special! This special is the opposite of special; featuring today’s hottest ventriloquists, racists, prop comics, sexists, impersonators, homophobes, and talk show hosts in their hate-filled prime! Are you oppressed and underrepresented in society? Well then, watch out! Let’s pull back the banana peel and take a head-first descent into the brick wall of our own mind! Take my life... please!

6.2

Waiting for the Sun

Mar 19, 2017

In China more people are on death row than the rest of the world combined. The children of the convicts are often left alone, stigmatized and living in the streets. Grandma Zhang, as the kids call her, is a former prison guard who has founded an orphanage in Nanzhao.

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5.2