Moving History - a guide to UK film and television archives in the public sector

National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales - The Collection

The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales archive holds over five million feet of original film material and over 250,000 hours of video. The screen collection includes feature films and videos, amateur film, corporate and educational films, documentaries, animation, and newsreels as well as television production material. The television collection includes many tens of thousands of ‘off-air’ television recordings from the major broadcasters in Wales and recordings on issues relevant to Wales from other broadcasters.

The sound collection holds over 150,000 hours of sound recordings ranging from early wax cylinder recordings to modern CDs and digital media, and includes many thousands of records. The collection includes radio broadcasts and oral history recordings as well as recordings of classical and popular music.

The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales collection benefits from being located alongside the extensive research resources of the National Library of Wales, including books, periodicals, newspapers, official publications, maps, manuscripts, poetry, works of art and photographs.

Places

The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales screen collection covers the whole of Wales, with certain areas, such as the coastal and rural north west, particularly well represented. The many travelogues, tourist promotion and amateur holiday films in the Archive ensure that rural and isolated holiday spots feature in the collection alongside popular destinations such as Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, Porthcawl, Llandudno and Prestatyn. The archive also has many films that highlight the industrial and urban history of Wales through their focus on urban centres such as Cardiff, on the mining communities of South Wales, and the quarrying industry and so forth. In addition to moving image material covering Wales and the Welsh, the archive also holds examples of material which extends beyond the boundaries of Wales (for example material filmed outside Wales by Welsh filmmakers).

'Holidays, Jolly Days and Happy Ways' (1939)
this tourist film features the north Wales coastal holiday strip that has been a popular Welsh destination since the 1930s including Barmouth, Harlech, Aberdyfi, and Cricieth
'After Many a Summer - the changing face of Tiger Bay' (1968)
documentary film showing the urban landscape and community break-up of Tiger Bay in Cardiff during housing redevelopment

Subjects and Periods

The archive's screen collection encompasses every aspect of culture, life and work in Wales as chronicled by film and television including art and culture, work, industry and agriculture, language, people and politics, sport and entertainment, war, and the urban and rural landscapes of Wales. The collection covers key moments in Welsh history from the late1890s through every decade of the twentieth century, and the archive holds a great deal of contemporary footage in its television collection.

Early film and cinema - The archive holds copies of a number of film productions from the early days of film and cinema of importance to Welsh history and the development of film-making in Wales, the earliest dating from 1898. Early Welsh films include material by pioneer Welsh based film-makers, William Haggar and Arthur Cheetham, and by Charles Urban. The archive also has examples from the many hundreds of films made by companies and groups in the first decade of the twentieth century; such as the British Biograph and Mutoscope Company who toured their films around Britain and Ireland, and the Mitchell and Kenyon partnership of travelling showmen whose films of events and local people were shown at fairgrounds around Britain.

'Conway Castle' (1898)
the earliest known film from Wales is this hand-tinted film depicting a 'phantom train ride' shot from the front of a locomotive in north Wales by the British Biograph and Mutoscope Company. (Original held at the Nederlands Filmmuseum)
'Mailboat Munster at Holyhead' (1898)
a film by Arthur Cheetham, one of the first films made by a Welsh based cinematographer (Original held at the BFI)
'The Life of Charles Peace' (1905)
one of Welsh film pioneer William Haggar's key early films which portrays the true story of a murderer hanged for his crime (Original held at the BFI)
'Wales v Ireland' (1906)
scenes of a 1906 football match between Wales and Ireland. One of hundreds of films made by the Mitchell and Kenyon partnership (Original held at the BFI)

War-time - The archive holds a number of notable films dating from the periods of the First and Second World Wars. The collection includes local newsreel film, government information films, war-related fiction and amateur footage from these war-time periods.

'The Opening of the Prince of Wales Hospital' (1918)
the opening ceremony for a Cardiff hospital for wounded soldiers returning from the First World War
'The Life Story of David Lloyd George' (1918)
This rediscovered biopic depicts Lloyd George’s war, during which he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Munitions Minister and finally Prime Minister. Actor Norman Page portrays him in cabinet, visiting the trenches, inspecting munitions manufacture and, after the final roll call, contemplating the aftermath
'Efaciwis a Ricriwtio' (1939)
this film shows a recruiting rally at Machynlleth for the Welsh Guards four months before the outbreak of the Second World War; also shown are evacuee children from Liverpool arriving with their teachers at the town’s station
'The Road to Yesterday' (1949)
after the Second World War, this professionally made travelogue was made to entertain troops still stationed abroad and offered a medley of stereotypical and clichéd images of Wales

Rural life - Rural and agricultural life is a key subject within the archive collection with many films focusing on or illustrating the strong agricultural heritage of Wales. Material featuring rural life include amateur films, advertising and promotional films, dramas, documentaries and television news items. In addition to reflecting the rural landscape, much of the work illustrates traditional farming practices, communities and ways of life that had remained largely unchanged for decades. Subjects covered include sheep and dairy farming, coracle fishing, farmers’ markets and auctions, hunt meetings, village life, and the wildlife and nature of rural Wales.

'Yr Etifeddiaeth' ('The Heritage') (1949)
this film captures images of traditional agricultural and rural ways of life in north Wales on the brink of changing or disappearing altogether
'The Fruitful Year' (1949)
this dramatised film commissioned by National Savings offers a romanticised view of rural Wales, using harvest celebrations as a backdrop to its message promoting the benefits of saving
Mrs G.Davies Collection (1960s - 1980s)
amateur collections in the archive include the films of farmer Mrs Gwen Davies from mid Wales, which depict her family’s work on the farm throughout the seasons
The Buckley Family Collection (1920s - 1970s)
members of a landowning family from Carmarthenshire filmed their progressive farming practices and other activities such as otter hunting and horse racing

Social and political issues – Issues of great political and symbolic importance for Wales have been captured over the years on amateur film, in fiction and documentary films and in news items. Key Welsh political figures feature in the collection, including politician and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. The archive holds footage of Lloyd George's public and family life, including newsreels of various official functions in Wales, unique family and amateur footage, as well as the recently rediscovered biopic made in 1918. Key moments in Welsh political history recorded on film and television are held in the archive including rallies calling for a Welsh parliament in the 1960s, coal strike marches in the 1980s, Welsh language campaign rallies and material on the establishment of the Welsh Assembly.

'The Life Story of David Lloyd George' (1918)
filmed in 1918 but suppressed and never shown, this feature length drama was rediscovered by the archive in 1994, restored and shown publicly for the first time in 1996
'Visit of David Lloyd George to Germany' (1936)
filmed by Lloyd George’s private secretary, A. J. Sylvester, this includes scenes of the former PM’s visit to Germany, where he meets and dines with Hitler
'Tryweryn, the Story of a Valley' (1965)
film made by the staff and pupils of Friars School, Bangor on events during the evacuation and flooding of the village of Capel Celyn to build a reservoir to supply Liverpool
'Political Annie’s Off Again' (1982)
Chapter Video Workshop’s film on the Hoover factory (Merthyr Tydfil) sex discrimination dispute.

Arts, culture and tradition - Moving images relating to and illustrating the cultural heritage and identity of Wales feature in the archive’s collection through films and programmes focussing on music, song, art, craft, poetry, cultural traditions and events. The Eisteddfod, the Welsh language annual cultural festival, is well covered in the archive through newsreel, documentaries and television, as well as amateur and fiction film. The importance of poetry in the Welsh culture is clearly illustrated in films and programmes in the collection. Also held are number of film productions funded by the Welsh Arts Council on a variety of cultural and arts subjects including painting, ceramics and animation.

'David' (1951)
A BFI film based on a true story, this is a moving portrait of an ex-miner turned school caretaker (acting himself) who, having suffered bereavement, submits a poem to the national Eisteddfod poetry competition (Original held at the BFI)
'Hedd Wyn' (1992)
This Oscar nominated S4C drama tells the true story of Ellis Evans (known by his bardic name 'Hedd Wyn') who died in the First World War trenches and was posthumously awarded the National Eisteddfod chair for poetry in 1917
'The Song We Sing Is About Freedom' (1972)
this film illustrates the power of song to bring together two very different communities, as it follows the cultural exchange between a Welsh and a Hungarian male voice choir
'La Cathedrale Engloutie' (1961)
a film about Ceri Richards and his painting

Welsh language films – The archive holds many films that are important to the development of the Welsh language in the twentieth century. The first Welsh language sound film was made in 1935 by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards who founded Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh League of Youth) in 1922 to try to ensure that Welsh language culture thrived and held appeal for younger generations. In addition to his single sound drama he made several films with Welsh titling. All of his surviving work is in the archive collection along with related documentation and contextual materials. The archive holds many later films made in the Welsh language as they grew in number, for example the Welsh Film Board collection which commissioned Welsh language films from 1971 to the mid 80s, and material from or sponsored by the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Fund and S4C (the Welsh language television channel).

'Yr Ail Fordaith Gymraeg' ('Second Welsh Cruise’) (1934)
film by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards, founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh League of Youth) on an Urdd members’ cruise visit to Brittany, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with intertitles in Welsh
'Y Chwarelwr' (‘The Quarryman’) (1935)
This Ifan ab Owen Edwards’ drama, set in Blaenau Ffestiniog, north Wales, depicting the lives of the slate quarrymen, was the first ever Welsh language sound film
'Yr Etifeddiaeth' (‘The Heritage’) (1949)
narrated by Albert Evans-Jones (the Archdruid "Cynan"), this film was the first documentary to be narrated in Welsh; it conveys concern about the future of the Welsh language and culture as they face new waves of anglicised popular culture and media
'Milwr Bychan' (Boy Soldier) (1986)
S4C film drama commissions include this film by Karl Francis about a young Welsh soldier on duty in Northern Ireland

Industry – Moving images depicting the history of industrial Wales in the collection are found in films of coal mining, the steel industry, slate quarrying, tin plate manufacture, and of and the people and communities that worked in these industries. The decline of the coal mining industry in South Wales is shown through drama, documentary and amateur films as well as television footage of the miners’ strikes and the response of the communities that were economically dependent on the mines. The archive also houses films that illustrate work other than heavy industries: examples include films on laundry firms, bus and train companies, and cockle and mussel fishing.

'Men Against Death' (1933)
this, the first sound drama made in and about Wales, re-enacts of a major slate quarry disaster
'Steel in South Wales' (1950)
a documentary highlighting the steel making process, produced by the British Iron & Steel Federation
'Above us the Earth' (1977)
a drama by Karl Francis based on the closure of the Ogilvie colliery in south Wales using local people and actors to convey the changes and mixed emotions within the community
'Capter Video Workshop collection' (1979s - 1990s)
the Cardiff based community group 'Chapter Video Workshop' made many documentary style productions from the mid 1970s to mid 1990s exploring the challenging issues facing the South Wales communities during the miners’ strikes

Recent and current material - The most recent video material in the archive is included in the substantial collection of television programmes recorded ‘off-air’ by the archive from the early 1980s. The most recent film holdings in the collection include feature films, short fiction films and strong collections of contemporary animation. Prints of all lottery-funded Welsh feature film releases are deposited with the archive.

Production Types

Amateur films – The archive holds many amateur and family film collections. Many of these films - from the 1970s up to the 1980s - depict family events, holidays and outings; others record community events such as excursions, carnivals and other celebrations.

'Hwyl a Sbri …a Thrip Capel Brynsiencyn' (Sunday School Excursion) (1950s)
film showing members of an Anglesey community on a chapel outing - one of many films made by local GP, Dr J.Glyn Jones, portraying family and community activities
'H.M.S.Conway April 1953. A Sad End to a Great Career' (1953)
one of several films by Isla Johnston, a shipping heiress based in Anglesey who filmed various local events, including her yachting activities. This film is a record of the wrecking of the HMS Conway in the Menai Straits
'The Pink Shirts' (1934/5)
amateur films made by the family of the Marquis of Anglesey include family activities along with inventive dramas such as this parody on Oswald Mosley’s ‘Black Shirts', with parts acted by children of the family
'The Island in the Current' (1953)
A tribute to Bardsey or Ynys Enlli (the island in the current) and its people - including the artist Brenda Chamberlain - showing how life there is dominated by the sea and the seasons

Animation – The archive holds a significant collection of animated films made by Welsh animators ranging from the 1920s to the present day including creations by Sid Griffiths, Clive Walley and Oscar-nominated Joanna Quinn.

'Jerry The Tyke' (1925-27)
an important early collection of 40 animated cartoons made for Pathe Pictorial by Welsh animator Sid Griffiths, inspired by the 'Felix the Cat' cartoons from America (originals held by British Pathe)
'Light of Uncertainty' (1998) and the ‘Divertimenti' series (1991-94)
Many of the award winning animation films by abstract animator Clive Walley are held in the archive along with related materials and equipment from his collection
'Body Beautiful' (1990)
the archive has several films from leading animator Joanna Quinn including this story set in a Valleys factory. Its heroine, Beryl, is probably the first animated character to speak in the colloquial valleys tongue

Documentaries – the archive contains many documentary films on Welsh subjects or by Welsh film-makers. Many of the documentaries and drama documentaries of prominent Welsh directors such as Jack Howells, Karl Francis and Marc Evans are held. Leading documentary film and television companies have also deposited their collections. Other documentary holdings include the community productions made by Cardiff’s Chapter Video Workshop which operated from the mid 1970s to mid 1990s. The work of this group offered an insiders’ view of community issues such as miners’ strikes, health, housing and local arts activity.

'Dylan Thomas' (1962)
an Oscar winning tribute to the Welsh writer and poet by director Jack Howells and narrated by Richard Burton
'Camgymeriad Gwych' (‘Beautiful Mistake’) (2001)
a documentary film by Marc Evans featuring the Welsh born Velvet Underground musician John Cale and Welsh bands Catatonia and Super Furry Animals amongst others
'Silent Village' (1993)
Marc Evans also directed this BBC drama documentary on the lives and reminiscences of the people of the south Wales mining village of Cwmgiedd. The village had been the setting for a Humphrey Jennings film of the same name in 1943, recreating the Nazi massacre in the Czech mining village of Lidice
'The Dragon has Two Tongues' (HTV, 1985) and 'Wales! Wales?' (BBC, 1984)
celebrated television documentaries focusing on the history and state of contemporary Wales

Fiction film - Fiction features and short films are a growing category in the archive's collection and the majority of the fiction films are more recent additions. Prints of all new Lottery funded Welsh feature films are automatically deposited with the Archive. In addition, the Archive acquires copies of the short films selected annually for funding under Sgrin Cymru Wales’s short film schemes aimed at encouraging new filmmakers. Thus the archive has a growing collection of innovative fictional shorts by up and coming film-makers.

'Rhosyn a Rhith' (‘Coming Up Roses’) (1986)
a story directed by Stephen Bayly based around the closure of the cinema in a small south Wales community
'One of the Hollywood Ten' (2002)
feature directed by Karl Francis centring on the struggle of blacklisted Hollywood director Herbert Biberman to make his award winning 1954 film ‘Salt of the Earth’
'Blue Kenny' (2002)
a short film by Keir Alexander about a troubled schoolboy whose best and worst sides are brought out by his class and head teachers respectively; Winner of the 2002 DM Davies Award at the International Film Festival of Wales
'Solomon a Gaenor' (1998)
an Oscar-nominated feature from S4C telling the story of illicit love between a Welsh girl and a Jewish boy against a backdrop of racial tension and industrial unrest in the Welsh Valleys in 1911 Television – The archive holds thousands of ‘off-air’ television video recordings from the major broadcasters in Wales - S4C, HTV Wales and BBC Wales. The archive also records programmes on issues relevant to Wales from other broadcasters.

Key Film-makers

Welsh-based pioneer filmmaker William Haggar was a travelling showman who made short film dramas often using family members as the cast. Although he made more than thirty documented films, only four of his productions are known to survive, including his film 'The Life of Charles Peace' from 1905
Arthur Cheetham operated cinemas in Aberystwyth, Colwyn Bay and Manchester and was also one of the early Welsh-based pioneer film-makers, making several films between 1897 and 1903. Little of his material survives; however, the archive holds VHS copies of some turn-of-century footage (original at the BFI), in addition to 1920s films of Aberystwyth by Cheetham and his family
Other key film-makers whose work is very important to the archive collection and Welsh moving image history as a whole include Welsh writer, cultural campaigner and film-maker Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards, the documentary film-making duo - photographer Geoff Charles and journalist John Roberts Williams, drama and documentary film-makers Karl Francis and Marc Evans, and animator Clive Walley, amongst many others.

Other related collections

Other materials related to the film collection held in the Archive include reference books (including some rare early cinema volumes); paper documentation such as scripts, posters and publicity materials, reviews and news cuttings; stills and photographs; animation storyboards and cells; cameras and projection equipment.

Examples of specific collections are the Clive Walley animation collection (original artwork etc.); the ‘Moving Being’ (performance company which incorporated film) documentation and slide collection; the Chapter Video Workshop documentation collection; some 300 scripts acquired via the now defunct Wales Film Council; Karl Francis documentation collection; scripts and documentation of Teliesyn and Red Flannel (defunct documentary production company and women’s film co-operative, respectively).

Sound Collection - The National Screen and Sound Archive’s sound collection is a Welsh based collection, though the definition of ‘Welsh interest’ can on occasion be quite broad, extending beyond criteria such as Welsh artistes. The sound collection contains well over 150,000 hours of sound recordings, including approximately 6,000 records from 78s through to vinyl, some wax cylinders, hundreds of CDs, thousand of sound cassettes as well as some lectures/events recorded on DAT and occasionally Mini Disc. Some of these items have been donated or bequeathed in collections representing a lifetime dedicated to collecting. The sound collection is added to on a daily basis by off-air recordings of broadcasts. The National Library of Wales is a designated off-air broadcast archive, which allows the recording and keeping of radio broadcasts. Formerly recorded on _ inch reels, these are now put on CD.

The National Library of Wales collections

The National Library - of which the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales is a part - is a treasure-house of information containing over 4 million printed volumes, including; books, periodicals, newspapers, official publications, maps and music publications, from many countries and different periods of history. It also houses thousands of manuscripts and archives, pictures and photographs, posters and ephemera, collected nowadays in electronic as well as more traditional forms.

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