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Edwardian Insects on Film poster

Edwardian Insects on Film

Film201359 min9.0/10 on TMDB

Directed by John Holdsworth

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In 1908, amateur naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith stunned early cinema goers with his footage of the juggling fly. Hailed as the father of Natural History film, Smith was a hugely influential visual pioneer, inventing many techniques that are still used today. Being both a genius and an eccentric, we follow his life from his earliest films, to the collapse of his house from his mould experiment to his ultimate suicide. We also meet Natural History icon Sir David Attenborough, who was so amazed by Smith’s films in the 1930s that they inspired him to get into natural history.Read moreLess

In 1908, amateur naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith stunned early cinema goers with his footage of the juggling fly. Hailed as the father of Natural History film, Smith was a hugely influential visual pioneer, inventing many techniques that are still used today. Being both a genius and an eccentric, we follow his life from his earliest films, to the collapse of his house from his mould experiment to his ultimate suicide. We also meet Natural History icon Sir David Attenborough, who was so amazed by Smith’s films in the 1930s that they inspired him to get into natural history.

The story

In 1908, amateur naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith stunned early cinema goers with his footage of the juggling fly. Hailed as the father of Natural History film, Smith was a hugely influential visual pioneer, inventing many techniques that are still used today. Being both a genius and an eccentric, we follow his life from his earliest films, to the collapse of his house from his mould experiment to his ultimate suicide. We also meet Natural History icon Sir David Attenborough, who was so amazed by Smith’s films in the 1930s that they inspired him to get into natural history.

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Cast & crew

Charlie Hamilton JamesCharlie Hamilton JamesSelf - Presenter
Dr Tim Boon
Dr Tim Boon
Self - Science Museum, London
David Cleveland
David Cleveland
Self - Film Archivist
Tim Cockerill
Tim Cockerill
Self - Entomologist
Bryony Dixon
Bryony Dixon
Self - Curator, Silent Film, BFI
Jenny Hammerton
Jenny Hammerton
Self - Film Archivist
Michael Harvey
Michael Harvey
Self - National Media Museum
Percy Smith
Percy Smith
Self - archive footage
John Winder
John Winder
Self - Scientist & Collector
Explore the crew
Director of Photography
John Holdsworth