Sun - Fun - Canvey
Standard 8mm film Colour Silent 1970 16:55
Summary: 1970 amateur film of the annual summer day trip to Canvey Island by the residents of the Brandon Estate, Southwark.
Title number: 1076
LSA ID: LSA/1494
Description: The film opens with a drawing of the Brandon Estate, followed by a sequence of title cards:
BECC presents
SUN
FUN
CANVEY
(00:18) We see residents of the Brandon Estate, along with a policeman, gathering by coaches. There are many close-up shots of adults and children who smile or pull silly faces at the camera. We see some fantastic fashion as everyone arrives well-dressed for the occasion. Amongst the close-ups, there are shots of a St John's Ambulance uniformed man and of a butcher who waves at the camera.
(01:38) Inside one of the coaches the camera pans across the seated crowd of mostly women and children. There is a close-up of one child who stares intensely at the camera. Lots more close-ups of particular residents, adults and children. From outside the coach the camera films residents who wave from the windows. Three boys wave from the back window of what we now see is a StarDuster coach. A middle-aged woman with a clipboard and cat-eyed glasses steps off the coach as if to see who still needs to board.
(02:57) Everyone on the coach waves to the camera. The coaches set off on their journey. There is then a shot from the front of the coach where we see the area surrounding the estate. There is a shot of the man driving the coach. Another point of view shot from the front window shows the coach in front. We see a close-up of a young boy wearing some kind of scout or cadette uniform. More shots of residents on the coach waving and smiling.
(04:02) From the street the camera films the coaches arriving in Canvey Island. The residents disembark. We see a man holding a baby. A crowd of residents gather together. We see a very small boy, a toddler, messily eating an ice cream as two women try to clean up the drips from his shirt. We see that the crowd of residents are outside of Sally's Bar. Above the bar's sign there are various other signs for amusements, such as a Fun House. We see residents with snacks and refreshments, including a little boy with a large candy floss.
(05:57) We see children riding on a miniature train.
(06:33) Residents arrive on the beach. We see children paddling in the sea and playing with buckets and spades. Others play on inflatable rafts. A woman puts suncream on a small boy. Adults lounge and sunbathe on deckchairs and blankets.
(12:10) Back at the amusement park, a boy holds a goldfish in a bag that he has won. There is a huge sign reading 'Casino Amusements'. We then see a shot of a large rollercoaster called Wild Mouse. Three children, the cameraperson and a young woman board the coaster. The camera films from the front of the ride.
(14:00) Children ride on a carousel where the seats are in the shape of planes. We then see residents having fun on the bumper cars/dodgems. We see one of the cameramen in the passenger seat of a bumper car. We then see a point of view shot from the moving car - some dizzying shots!
(15:19) There is a baby crying in a pram. The baby is held and comforted by a woman.
(15:34) The cameraperson films as they slide down a helter skelter. We see children slide down the ride one by one.
Title card, with the letters arranged like so:
t
h
e n d
Credits: Richard Morgan (Filmmaker); Brian Waterman (Filmmaker)
Further information: The Brandon Estate was built in 1958 and housed people from Bermondsey whose houses had been demolished in slum clearance. The residents formed several clubs, and the cine club filmed events run by the social club, which met above the library. Filmmaker Brian Waterman joined the cine club age 17 and bought his camera with his first pay packet (he worked for London Underground).
At the very beginning pf the film, you can spot PC Harry Cole (1930-2008) from Carter Street Police Station in Walworth Road. He now has a Southwark Blue Plaque. (http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/2460)
Keywords: Canvey Island; Summer; Trip
Locations: United Kingdom; England; Essex; Canvey Island
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