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Archive Treasures

Film is a collective memory, preserved with skill and dedication by the archivists' art.
In addition to promoting the new, the London Film Festival champions the old. Restorations of rarities, classics or films long believed lost are showcased every year. Here is a taster of some of the titles rescued from oblivion by the work of the BFI National Archive and other organisations. Film is a notoriously fragile and unstable medium; it is easily damaged - sometimes beyond repair – and degrades over time. So careful conservation and restoration are essential to our enjoyment and understanding of the medium's history and the archivists' art.
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Scoring The Epic of EverestScoring The Epic of Everest

Documentary 2013 8 mins

Composer Simon Fisher Turner discusses his acclaimed soundscapes for the glorious The Epic of Everest

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Cosmopolitan LondonCosmopolitan London

Interest film 1924 10 mins Location: Soho

An extraordinary tour of Soho's French cafés, Clerkenwell's Little Italy and the lesser-trodden streets of Limehouse in the 1920s.

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Dickens' LondonDickens' London

1924 12 mins Location: Strand

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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Flowers of LondonFlowers of London

1924 10 mins Location: Charing Cross Sta

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London off the TrackLondon off the Track

1924 10 mins Location: Belgravia

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London's SundayLondon's Sunday

1924 8 mins Location: London Br

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London Old and NewLondon Old and New

1924 10 mins Location: Strand

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London's ContrastsLondon's Contrasts

1924 12 mins Location: Hyde Park

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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Along Father Thames to SheppertonAlong Father Thames to Shepperton

1924 11 mins Location: Kingston Upon Thames

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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Barging through LondonBarging through London

1924 11 mins Location: Limehouse

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London's Free ShowsLondon's Free Shows

Travelogue 1924 8 mins Location: Westminster

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

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London's Outer RingLondon's Outer Ring

1924 12 mins Location: Kennington

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.