This film is part of Free
Reminiscences of a Fortnight Spent at Duporth Holiday Camp
Life's a beach to these 1930s pleasure seekers, for whom two weeks at a Cornwall holiday camp is the holiday of a lifetime
Overview
Good morning campers! The holiday camp boom was on the horizon as the Hertfordshire family in this film make the long trip to south Cornwall for a fortnight's hijinks with relatives and friends. The filmmaker is clearly a keen amateur cineaste, experimenting with set-ups and slow motion - aided by a distinct familiarity with a number of the fellow campers. The occasional scenes beyond the bubble of the camp to local fishing villages are also well-shot.
Duporth Holiday Camp near St Austell was only in its second season when our guests arrived in September 1935. Billy Butlin would open his first camp in Skegness in 1936 and after the interruption of the war (when many sites were used for internment and military camps) such resorts went through their golden age. Duporth itself was bought by Butlin's in 1972, but after a number of name changes it closed in 2006.
Related
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.