This film is part of Free
Value for Money
Coin-operated carnage on a Suffolk beach, in this dreamlike short backed by the BFI.
Overview
Curiouser and curiouser... A young woman’s trip to the beach turns increasingly surreal when she digs up a mysterious coin-operated contraption. Who could resist giving it a whirl? Filmed on the stony shore of Aldeburgh in Suffolk, this BFI Production Board funded short is a playful and rewarding tale, with a memorable appearance by the 'Naked Civil Servant' himself, Quentin Crisp.
Gale Tattersall, the film's co-writer and photographer, was a recent graduate from the London Film School. He would go on to work as a cinematographer on The Commitments (1991) and Tank Girl (1995), and later as director of photography for the American TV series House (2004-2012) featuring Hugh Laurie. Tattersall's co-creator and director was David Blest, an arachnologist by trade, whose unusual background seems to have added intriguing perspective to a story that skilfully draws you into its web.
Related
The Holiday at Southwold The Holiday at Southwold
Amateur film 1933 26 mins Silent Location: Southwold
The Harrison family revel on the beach, sail their splendid model yachts and entertain friends at Southwold.
Aldeburgh Women's Institute Sports Aldeburgh Women's Institute Sports
Amateur film 1930 2 mins Silent Location: Aldeburgh
Light-hearted sports on a breezy day for Women's Institute members at Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
Rambles Around East Anglia - Part Two Rambles Around East Anglia - Part Two
Amateur film 1960 30 mins Silent Location: Aldeburgh
Amateur filmmaker captures East Anglia's coastal landmarks; incl. Thorpeness' 'House in the Clouds', Happisburgh Lighthouse, in 1959.
Suffolk Villages Suffolk Villages
Amateur film 1964 27 mins Silent Location: East Bergholt
Leisurely picnics and gathering lavender. Herbert Smerdon and friends tour the pretty villages in rural Suffolk circa 1964.
The Patchwork Quilt The Patchwork Quilt
Amateur film 1985 29 mins Location: Thompson Common
“The whole of the natural world is like the pattern of a patchwork quilt” says amateur filmmaker and naturalist Dorothy Maxey.
The Living Rainbow The Living Rainbow
Amateur film 1976 26 mins Silent Location: Thompson Common
Critters and blossoms of all colours, in Norfolk, captured on Super 8 colour Kodachrome by amateur filmmaker and naturalist Dorothy Maxey.
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 children’s 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.