Church Procession from Mortlake to Sheen, St Mary Magdalen Church
VHS Black & White Sound 1939 49:30
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Summary: Amateur film of a church procession from Mortlake to Sheen.
Title number: 2785
LSA ID: LSA/3653
Description: A fictional framing story of a young courting couple is used to introduce a documentary film record of a church procession. The young woman thinks about the Catholic Corpus Christi procession, what she will wear on it and her own religious devotion. The man is more interested in the racing press and initially dismissive of the procession. Later however he decides to go and watch to catch a glimpse of the woman, walking up the stone bridge to watch. The procession leads through the streets between St Mary Magdalen Church, Mortlake and Sheen Gate and back again via Sheen Lane, with churchmen carrying religious banners, schoolchildren, the parish band, and smartly dressed men and women and young women in white robes and veils. In Sheen several people stand on the streets watching the Corpus Christi procession. This film is followed by another 'Magda Magazine' presented by the St. Mary Magdalen's Film Society. This film records people attending St Mary Magdalene Church, and piling sandbags outside the building in fear of war bombing. In September of 1939 the film records children being evacuated to Stoke Poges. Some of them carry gas masks around their necks. Another item shows 'The Mags' beating 'Old Richmondonians' in a football match. The next item records the visit of Alderman Conlan, the first Catholic Mayor of Barnes on 12th November 1939 to High Mass at St Magdalen Church where he is met by a large congregation. cartoon The visit of the Archbishop to the church is also recorded. A Mickey Mouse film follows. before all the films repeat with music and commentary with a new film from the late 1930s with a procession walking around St Mary Magdalen Church led by Cannon Birt without leaving the church grounds. Cannon Birt takes a photograph with a large format camera. Another new film shows the filmmaker Joe Walsh in a military uniform and putting on a gas mask.
Credits: Director: Joe Walsh
Cast: Lesley Wright; Vera Hunt
Further information: A poor quality transfer made by videoing the original film while it is projected on a wall. The filmmaker is asked questions about the silent film while it is running, but much of it is difficult to hear over the projector noise. The items then appear again with religious music and a more discernible voiceover by the film maker.
Keywords: Catholicism; Churches
Locations: United Kingdom; England; London; Richmond upon Thames; Mortlake
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