Listing for The Sound Era

Many films were made in Brighton and Hove during the early silent film era. In the first year of production alone, 1896, possibly more than two dozen films were shot in Brighton, most apparently in the area between the two piers. Esmé Collings made several story films that were probably shot in Brighton, in addition to the topographical titles listed below, and is believed to have made at least 19 films in 1896.
        Increasingly, as topographical single-shot films gave way to narrative multi-shot films, the recognisable settings were replaced by studio sets or the gardens and interiors of local houses. Interestingly, one of the prime locations for later films, the Royal Pavilion, does not appear to have been filmed at all in the early years.

In 1966 a 27-minute 16mm documentary called It Began in Brighton about the pioneers between 1896 and 1902 was presented by John Huntley, directed by Tristram Powell and produced by Melvyn Bragg.

A videocassette, Silver Screen Silent Voices, also presented by John Huntley, produced and distributed by Cinemedia in association with the South East Film and Video Archive tells the story of film-making at Shoreham Beach 1914-1923. It includes extracts from A Lowland Cinderella.

Films marked * are included in The Movies Begin: A treasury of early cinema 1896-1906, Volume 2 (The European Pioneers).

On Brighton Beach (R W Paul, July 1896) The first film shot in Brighton
Brighton on a Bank Holiday (Birt Acres, August 1896)—King's Road and the West Pier
Bathers on the Beach at Brighton (Esmé Collings, summer 1896)
Boys Under Pier (aka Boys scrambling for pennies under the West Pier Brighton) (Esmé Collings, August 1896) [right, Picture source: BFI]
Children Paddling (Esmé Collings, August 1896)
Donkey Riding (Esmé Collings, summer 1896)
King's Road Brighton aka Brighton Front on a Bank Holiday (Esmé Collings, August 1896)
Landing at Low Tide (Birt Acres, August 1896)
Rough Sea aka The Hove Sea Wall in a Gale (Esmé Collings, 1896)
Scrambling Urchins  (Birt Acres, August 1896)
West Street Brighton (Esmé Collings, 1896)
Dyke Station (aka Train arriving at Dyke Station)  (Esmé Collings, 1896)—re-creation of the famous Lumière film
A Victorian Lady in Her Boudoir (aka Woman Undressing) (Esmé Collings, 1896)—possibly the first ever 'blue movie' [right, Picture source: BFI]
Broken Melody (Esmé Collings, 1896)—a simple story film

Brighton Sea-going Car (G A Smith, 1897)
Children Paddling at the Seaside (G A Smith, 1897)
Comic Face (alt title Man Drinking) (G A Smith, 1897) fiction
Comic Barber (alt title Comic Barber) (G A Smith, 1897) fiction
Gymnastics: Indian Club Performer (G A Smith, 1897)
Hanging Out the Clothes (G A Smith, 1897)
The Haunted Castle (G A Smith, 1897) fiction
Hove Coastguards at Cutlass Drill (James Williamson, 1897)
Hove Coastguards at Flag Drill (James Williamson, 1897)
The Maid in the Garden (G A Smith, 1897)
Making Sausages (alt title The End of All Things) (G A Smith, 1897)
Nursing the Baby (G A Smith, 1897)
Rottingdean Electric Railway (R W Paul, 1897). Volks Railway.
The Sign Writer (G A Smith, 1897) fiction
Tipsy-Topsy-Turvy (G A Smith, 1897)
Weary Willie (G A Smith, 1897) fiction
The X-ray Fiend (G A Smith, 1897)  fiction

Ally Sloper (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
Animated Clown Portrait (G A Smith, 1898)
Bank Holiday at the Dyke (James Williamson, 1898)
Children Bathing on Hove Beach (James Williamson, 1898)
Cinderella (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
The Clown Barber (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Come Along Do! (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
The Corsican Brothers (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
Courtship Under Difficulties (James Williamson, 1898)
Early Fashions on Brighton Pier (James Williamson, 1898)
Express Train and Level Crossing (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Faust and Mephistopheles (G A Smith, 1898)
The Forbidden Lover (James Williamson, 1898) Williamson appears as the father
The Fraudulent Beggar (James Williamson, 1898)
The Jealous Painter (James Williamson, 1898)
The Jovial Monks (James Williamson, 1898)
The Lady Barber (G A Smith, 1898)
The Mesmerist (G A Smith, 1898)
The Miller and the Sweep (G A Smith, 1898)* fiction
Norah Mayer the Quick-Change Dancer (James Williamson, 1898)
Photographing a Ghost (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
The Policeman, the Cook and the Copper (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
A Practical Joke (remake of Lumières' L'Arroseur Arrosé) (G A Smith, 1898)
The Runaway Knock (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
Santa Claus (G A Smith, 1898) fiction
Sloper's Visit to Brighton (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Sussex County Cricketers (James Williamson, 1898)
Trip in Brighton Queen (James Williamson, 1898)
Two Naughty Boys (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Two Naughty Boys Sprinkling the Spoons (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Two Naughty Boys Teasing the Cobbler (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Two Naughty Boys Upsetting the Spoons (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Washing the Sweep (James Williamson, 1898) fiction
Waves and Spray (G A Smith, 1898)
Winning the Gloves (James Williamson, 1898)  fiction; Williamson plays the man

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (G A Smith, 1899)
Bank Holiday at the Dyke (James Williamson, 1899)
Dick Whittington (G A Smith, 1899)
The Kiss in the Tunnel (G A Smith, 1899)*
Lady Cyclists (James Williamson, 1899)
The Legacy (G A Smith, 1899)
By the year end Williamson has made 60 films (only 18 are listed here)

As Seen Through the Telescope (G A Smith, 1900)*
Attack on a China Mission (James Williamson, 1900)*—230ft comprising four set-ups
The Conjuror (G A Smith, 1900)
Grandma's Reading Glass (G A Smith, 1900)* [right]
The House that Jack Built (G A Smith, 1900)
An Incident on Brighton Pier  (G A Smith, 1900)
A Jolly Old Couple (G A Smith, 1900)
Let Me Dream Again (G A Smith, 1900)*
Letty Limelight in Her Lair (alt title A Lady at her Morning Toilet) (G A Smith, 1900)
Two Grinning Yokels (G A Smith, 1900)
The Two Old Sports (G A Smith, 1900)

Are You There? (US title A Telephone Romance) (James Williamson, 1901)
The Big Swallow (US title A Photographic Contortion) (James Williamson, 1901)* [right]
The Bill Poster's Revenge (G A Smith, 1901)
Fire! (US title Life of a London Fireman) (James Williamson, 1901)*
The Inexhaustible Cab (G A Smith, 1901)
The Kitten Nursery (G A Smith, 1901)
The Little Doctor and the Sick Kitten (G A Smith, 1901)
The Little Doctors (G A Smith, 1901)
The Monocle (G A Smith, 1901)
Over the Garden Wall (James Williamson, 1901)
Stop Thief! (James Williamson, 1901)*
Whisky versus Bullets (G A Smith, 1901)

The Cakewalk (G A Smith, 1902)
The Comedian and the Flypaper (US title The Absent Minded Clerk, Fly Paper and Silk Hat) (G A Smith, 1902)
Grandma Threading Her Needle (G A Smith, 1902)
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes (G A Smith, 1902)
Oh That Collar Button! (G A Smith, 1902)
Ping-Pong (US title The Hodcarriers' Ping Pong) (James Williamson, 1902)
A Reservist Before the War and After the War (James Williamson, 1902)
The Soldier's Return (James Williamson, 1902)—Partly filmed at the Brighton Workhouse in Elm Grove (now Brighton General Hospital)
Too Much of a Good Thing (G A Smith, 1902)
The Two Old Sports at the Music Hall (G A Smith, 1902)

After Dark, or The Policeman and His Lantern (G A Smith, 1903)
At Brighton Beach
Dorothy's Dream (G A Smith, 1903)
The Little Match Seller (James Williamson, 1903)
Mary Jane's Mishap, or Don't Fool with the Paraffin (G A Smith, 1903)*
The Monk in the Monastery Wine Cellar (G A Smith, 1903)
Pa's Comment on the Morning News (G A Smith, 1903)
Remorse: A tragedy in five acts (James Williamson, 1903)
The Sick Kitten (G A Smith, 1903)*
Two Brave Little Chaps (G A Smith, 1903)
The Dear Boys Home for the Holidays (James Williamson, 1903)
The Elixir of Life (James Williamson, 1903)
The Little Match Seller (James Williamson, 1903)
Spring Cleaning (James Williamson, 1903) Williamson appears
The Workman's Paradise (James Williamson, 1903)

The Old Chorister (James Williamson, 1904)

An Interesting Story (James Williamson, 1905)*
Our New Errand Boy (James Williamson, 1905) Williamson appears as the grocer, his son Tom as the errand boy [right]
The Two Little Waifs (James Williamson, 1905)

The Angler's Dream (James Williamson, 1906)
A Day on His Own (James Williamson, 1906)
Flying the Foam and Some Fancy Diving (James Williamson, 1906)
Her First Cake (James Williamson, 1906)
Mrs Brown Goes Home to Her Mother (James Williamson, 1906)
The Sham Sword Swallower (James Williamson, 1906)
Where There's a Will There's a Way (James Williamson, 1906)
A Wicked Bounder (James Williamson, 1906)

After the Fancy Dress Ball (James Williamson, 1907)
Bobby's Birthday (James Williamson, 1907)
The Brigand's Daughter (James Williamson, 1907)
Cheating the Sweep (James Williamson, 1907)
Getting Rid of His Dog (James Williamson, 1907)
Just in Time (James Williamson, 1907)
Moving Day (James Williamson, 1907)
The Orange Peel (James Williamson, 1907)
The Orphans (James Williamson, 1907)
Pa Takes Up Physical Culture (James Williamson, 1907)
The Village Fire Brigade (James Williamson, 1907)
Why the Wedding Was Put Off (James Williamson, 1907)

The Ayah's Revenge (James Williamson, 1908)
A Countryman's Day in Town (James Williamson, 1908)
A Day's Holiday (James Williamson, 1908)
The Great Bargain Sale (James Williamson, 1908)
The Hundred Pounds Reward (James Williamson, 1908)
The Little Mother (James Williamson, 1908)
My Wife's Dog (James Williamson, 1908)
The Professor's Great Discovery (James Williamson, 1908)
The Reconciliation (James Williamson, 1908)
The Rent Collector (James Williamson, 1908)
The Rival Cyclists (James Williamson, 1908)
She Would Be a Suffragette (James Williamson, 1908)
Sunshine After Storm (James Williamson, 1908)
Uncle's Picnic (James Williamson, 1908)

A Visit to the Seaside (trade shown September 1908)
First film made in G A Smith's Kinemacolor system features scenes of Brighton, including The White Coons and the Cameron Highlanders Band. A programme of 21 Kinemacolor films was shown to a paying audience at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London on 26 February 1909—the first commercial colour film presentation.

'Arry and 'Arriet's Evening Out (James Williamson, 1909)
The Letter Box Thief (James Williamson, 1909)
Saved by a Dream (James Williamson, 1909)
The Tower of London (James Williamson, 1909)

The following Kinemacolor films may not have been shot in Brighton or Hove:
Kinemacolor Puzzle (G A Smith, 1909)
Natural Colour Portraiture (G A Smith, 1909)

The History of a Butterfly: A Romance of Insect Life (James Williamson, 1910)

Brighton and County Film Company is established c1911 by Walter Harold Speer (proprietor of the Queen's Electric Bioscope in Western Road), with financial backing from S F Edge. The company name is soon changed to Brightonia. Among its productions made in Brighton:
A Nurse's Devotion (1912), drama directed by Walter Speer.
The Motor Bandits (1912), crime story directed by Walter Speer.
East Lynn (1913), melodrama directed by Arthur Charrington from Mrs Henry Wood's novel.
The Grip of Iron (1913), directed by Arthur Charrington, based on a play by Arthur Shirley from the novel Les Estrangleurs de Paris by Belot. 3250 ft. Cast: Fred Powell, Nell Emerald, H Agar Lyons, Frank E Petley, Gertrude Price, Stanley Bedwell.

Sunny South and Sealight Film Company productions made at Shoreham Beach

Building a Chicken House (1913/14).
The Jockey (1913/14), featuring Will Evans.


The Showman's Dream (1914)—The picture shows Sunny South Film Company shooting The Showman's Dream in the open air at Shoreham Fort.
Harnessing a Horse (1914).
Whitewashing the Ceiling (1914), comedy directed by Will Day, written and performed by Will Evans, also featuring Arthur Conquest (of the large acting family)

.Sealight productions:
A Man and a Woman (1916), drama directed by F L Lyndhurst

Progress Film Company productions made at Shoreham Beach

A Lowland Cinderella (1921)
Starring Joan Morgan
Produced and directed by Sidney Morgan
Filmed around Shoreham and in the Metropole Hotel in Brighton as well as at the Shoreham Beach studio.

The Mayor of Casterbridge (1921)
Produced and directed by Sidney Morgan
Partly filmed at the Shoreham Beach studio but also in Steyning, West Sussex and Dorchester, this 65-minute adaptation was made with the collaboration of the author, Thomas Hardy, himself.

Little Dorrit
Lady Noggs
Lilac Sunbonnet

Information about other known productions would be welcomed.

Local newsreels were shot in 1910 and later by Eddie Scriven and shown at the Empire Picture Theatre

Brighton also featured in Topical Budget newsreels of the period.
1 February 1921: Prince's 'Hustle' Visit to Brighton. Prince of Wales unveils the Chattri war memorial to Indian soldiers who died in hospital in Brighton during and after the First World War.
4 April 1929: King Sol Reigns Supreme. Easter holidays scenes, including Brighton seafront.
13 June 1929: Royal Visit to Brighton. Future King George VI visits Brighton Aquarium.

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