BFI

Panorama of Ealing from a Moving Tram (1901) is an excellent example of a 'phantom ride', a film that was usually made with the intention of screening it at fairgrounds and advertised on the basis of the film's local interest ("See yourselves as others see you" would have been a typical advertising phrase). If members of the audience were unlucky enough not to spot themselves or someone they knew, they were at least guaranteed to recognise something, even if it was only a glimpse of their high street.

This film, made by the prolific American-born William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson (a former Edison associate who moved to Britain in 1897), was one of many such films, though it is of particular interest to local historians because it has been preserved in such good condition.

Michael Brooke

*This film can be downloaded from the BFI's Creative Archive. Note that this material is not limited to users in registered UK libraries and educational establishments: it can be accessed by anyone within the UK under the terms of the Creative Archive Licence.

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