Directed by Harry B Parkinson and Frank Miller, the original 1920s cinema run of Wonderful London comprised two series of travelogues highlighting the diversity of life in our fair capital. Shown to great acclaim at last year’s London Film Festival, 12 of these vintage shorts are now getting the deluxe home entertainment treatment courtesy of the British Film Institute.
To be released next Monday July 23, the Wonderful London DVD presents six titles in black and white prints made a few years ago using traditional film printing methods, with a further half dozen "painstakingly restored by the BFI National Archive to reinstate their original tinting and toning". Featuring new musical accompaniments from world-renowned pianist John Sweeney, the package also boasts an illustrated booklet with freshly commissioned essays including one by regular tQ scribe Jude Rogers, who will co-host a special free screening this Wednesday July 18 at Rough Trade East in conjunction with fellow Smoke: A London Peculiar editor Matt Haynes and the BFI’s silent film curator Bryony Dixon. The events starts at 7pm and Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley will be on hand to provide a suitable soundtrack; more details can be found here.
