This film is part of Free
Dr Turner's Mental Home
The wilder fringes of the Bloomsbury Group are exposed in this dark amateur film starring Dora Carrington.
Overview
The wilder fringes of the Bloomsbury Group are exposed in this dark amateur film. Filmed by Bernard Penrose over a weekend at Ham Spray House, Wiltshire - nexus of the menage a trois between Dora Carrington, Lytton Strachey and Ralph Partridge - the trippy plot concerns a wicked doctor who experiments on the inmates of his mental home. Will heroine Daisy escape? Probably not. The creepy dummies and masks were made by Carrington, who also stars as a disturbed inmate.
Ham Spray House was bought in 1922 by Strachey, who died of cancer there ten years later; unable to live without him, Carrington committed suicide shortly after. Writers and artists, including surviving members of the Bloomsbury Group, continued to visit until Partridge's death in 1960. This was one of three films Carrington made with Penrose and was first shown at 41 Gordon Square, home of Strachey's brother James, in August 1929.
Related
Good Strong Coffee Good Strong Coffee
Advert 1968 2 mins Silent
Far-out guys and groovy gals drop doses of good strong coffee in this psychedelic 1968 ad for the hot black stuff.
Glastonbury Festival and the First Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival and the First Pyramid Stage
Current affairs 1971 5 mins Location: Glastonbury
Glastonbury ley lines for iconic pyramid stage to heighten a festival-goer’s experience
Punk In 60 Seconds Punk In 60 Seconds
Promotional 2016 1 mins
Anarchy in the UK… This rare footage presents a short blast of the punk energy that took over the streets of Britain in the late 1970s.
Burn Your Bra! Burn Your Bra!
Current affairs 1968 2 mins Location: Truro
The Women’s Liberation movement’s burn your bra campaign hits Truro.
Discomania Discomania
Drama 1979 24 mins Location: London
Nerdy teenage mummy's boy David dreams of wowing the girls with his disco dance moves - but alas he was born with two left feet.
Shellshock Rock Shellshock Rock
1979 48 mins Location: Belfast
The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers play live in this vivid music doc capturing all the vibrancy of the 1970s Northern Irish punk scene.
Topical Budget Ham Spray September 1929 Topical Budget Ham Spray September 1929
Amateur film 1929 3 mins Silent Location: Ham Spray Ho
Bloomsbury Group antics at the Wiltshire home of Dora Carrington and Lytton Strachey.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.