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Brothers John and William Barnes (b 1920) have devoted their lives to film. In the 1930s they made many important documentaries on Kent as well as developing a vast collection of film apparatus, publications, photographs and ephemera relating to the early history of film-making in Britain. Part of their archive is now held by Hove Museum. John Barnes has also written extensively on pre-cinema and early cinema history. As part of the their collection of films held by Screen Archive South East, 'In the Garden of England' is an exceptional record of agricultural life in East Kent as seen through the changing seasons. The film opens with the title "To all who labour on the land this film is dedicated" and shows beautifully shot scenes of traditional farming methods such as planting, hoeing, ploughing, lambing, fruit picking, hop-picking and the building of hay ricks. Other films by the Barnes brothers include 'The Wheat Harvest' which also has an agricultural theme and illustrates the annual wheat harvest in East Kent. Their film 'Gypsies' (1938) offers a portrait of a Roma family in Canterbury, Kent, showing the preparation of the caravans for their trip to Canterbury and their entry into the City. Other films with an agricultural theme in the archive includes the documentary 'Hoplands of Kent' (1930s) directed by Mary Field, which includes scenes showing women and children harvesting the hops by hand and the publicity film 'Kent: The Weald and the Marsh' (1984) which depicts the harvesting of hops by machine. |
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