A film of Ben Hur's picture house, Whitehorse Street (as it was still called in 1935), and the surrounding streets in Stepney during the Silver Jubilee of 1935.
"Ben Hur" (actually Henry Ben Solomon), appears to have commissioned this film to be shown in his picture house. Obviously it would have generated a great deal of business with all the locals coming along to see themselves on the silver screen.
It is interesting to note the "tracking shots" are obtained via a horse and cart - the horse's head and ears can be clearly seen as the camera wends its way along the Old Road!
This film means a great deal to me as my grandfather, F.J. Hoadly (1882-1978) owned three bakery shops in this vicinity. One at 147 Whitehorse Street that he took over circa 1920, then another at 156 Whitehorse Street, on the corner of Eastfield Street. Both of these premises are visible in this film. My late father, Bob Hoadly, was born at 147, and this premises and the surrounding shops, homes and streets were destroyed in the blitz of 1940.
Ben Hur's cinema was originally called the Palaceum, and was in Whitehorse Street, now renamed Whitehorse Road, in Stepney, by St Dunstan's Church.
Of course, the original film is silent, but I have added contemporary music to brighten it up, hopefully in the spirit of the enjoyment of the traders and inhabitants of the streets surrounding the Old Road in 1935.
2 ноя 2017
