Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is currently unavailable

Magician's Wife Makes the Christmas Cake
There's magical mayhem in the kitchen when the magician's wife makes use of a most unusual cooking utensil - her husband's magic wand.
From the collection of:

Overview
In her 'austerity' kitchen the magician's wife decides to make a cake. When things start to go wrong she finds the ultimate kitchen helper - her husband's wand. She can now un-smash broken eggs, put split milk back into the bottle and turn a matchbox into a mousetrap. She even turns a cremated cake into a chocolate triumph, impressing a friend in the process. A gramophone player becomes a cake-stand but things go awry when she isn't looking and the icing starts flying.
Ashford resident 'Sonny' Hanson was a keen and creative amateur film-maker who began his hobby in the 1930s. A member of the Ashford Film Society, 'Sonny' collaborated on a large number of mostly fictional productions. His experiments in special effects like stop-motion animation and reverse-action, as seen in this film, suggest that Sonny Hanson was a skilled and imaginative amateur film-maker who thoroughly enjoyed his hobby.
Related

Toys Will Be Toys Toys Will Be Toys
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1988 5 mins Location: South Shields
Barbie dolls in pink battle khaki killing machines in a Christmas animation that cocks a snook at the βDisney Doctrineβ.

A Bronte Christmas A Bronte Christmas
Documentary 1980 14 mins Location: Haworth
Richard Whiteley joins children on the Worth Valley Railway Santaβs Special, while the Haworth Town Band sing On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

Christmas in Belfast Christmas in Belfast
Government sponsored film 1977 2 mins Location: Belfast
Christmas in Belfast at the height of 'The Troubles'. Not the most wonderful time of year.

Christmas Play Christmas Play
1959 18 mins
Taking the lid off the creative process - of a group of theatrically-minded 11-year-olds as they stage the nativity.

A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol
Fantasy 1914 23 mins Silent
A well-acted early version of Charles Dickens' much loved Christmas story, featuring some impressive ghost sequences.

Wartime Cinema Christmas Greeting Wartime Cinema Christmas Greeting
Announcement 1940 1 mins
A thoughtful Christmas message in hope of peace from early in WWII - the absence of loved ones hit hardest at holiday times.

All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.

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.

Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
Documentary 2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.

Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of childrenβs palliative care.

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.