Though the Topical Film Company began producing its Topical Budget newsreels in 1911, 1913 is the earliest year for which a substantial number still survives. In any case, it's a good year to begin a survey of the self-styled 'Great British Newsreel', as it was the year before World War I changed the world forever. Because of this, it's tempting to scour Topical Budget's output for signs of gathering storm clouds, but the relentlessly cheery and upbeat tone quickly renders this futile - even the soon-to-be-demonised Kaiser Wilhelm II is affectionately portrayed in Leipzic Celebrations (114-1). However, the films do provide a fascinating snapshot of pre-war Britain from a great many angles, spanning all levels of the social hierarchy, from the Royal Family Aboard 'Britannia' (103-1), the royal yacht, on down. Upper-class leisure pursuits are much in evidence, whether Pheasant Shooting (111-2), playing International Polo (93-2), or taking part in a Golf Tournament (111-2) or University Hockey Match (79-2) - the latter seeing Cambridge thrash Oxford by a then-record margin. There was also a great deal of horse-racing, presented by the Duke of York Stakes (112-1), The St. Leger (107-2), Military Steeplechases (79-2) and the tragically notorious Derby of 1913, discussed in more detail below. At the other end of the scale, East End slum children were given a day out in the countryside in Canadian Teachers' Treat to Slum Children (103-1), and their South London counterparts would doubtless have attended the famous Mitcham Fair (103-2). Meanwhile, working horses were cared for in sickness or retirement in Horses' New Year's Feast (71-2), a look at the work of the Cricklewood Home of Rest for Horses, which is still functioning today. (A specific breed of horse was commemorated at the Shire Horse Show, 79-2). Disasters were chronicled, both at home and abroad. The Fearful Flood (87-2) laid waste to large parts of the eastern part of the American mid-West and, on a smaller scale, Easter Hurricane Effects (83-2) documented the aftermath of the destruction of Worthing Pier, just along the South Coast from Brighton. Meanwhile, Wreck of the Ketch 'Mirror' (114-1) preserved poignant images of the vessel in question being piloted by Sea Scouts prior to the accident that claimed four lives, while The Derby 1913 (93-1) inadvertently filmed the death of suffragette Emily Davison, trampled by the King's horse as she ran onto the track. Other than the failure of Captain Percy Lambert to retake his land speed record in Motor Racing at Brooklands (90-1), no disasters occurred during the filming itself - but Lambert was killed on a subsequent attempt a few months later. On a more upbeat note, though the attempted aerial circumnavigation of Britain in The Great Waterplane Race (104-1) ended with the plane crashing, no-one died, and both pilot and designer (Thomas Sopwith, who later created the iconic Sopwith Camel) went on to distinguished careers in aviation. Though that film merely featured shots of the plane taking off, the earlier Bird-Man vs. Motorist (79-2) caught some thrillingly dynamic footage of a motorcycle-versus-biplane race. Political coverage included a March on Whitehall (103-1), in which a Trafalgar Square demonstration defending freedom of speech turned into a riot, and on Derry Election Day (75-2), the Unionist candidate was narrowly beaten by his Nationalist rival. This is one of the earliest surviving examples of what would become one of Topical Budget's most important contributions to recorded 20th-century history: its comprehensive coverage of Anglo-Irish matters during a turbulent decade that began with the British firmly in control and ended with Irish independence. Topical Budget's abiding fascination with military matters began well before World War I made the subject an inescapable priority. What was then cutting-edge military technology is fetishised by Launch of H.M.S.Lowestoft (87-2), The First Electric Submarine (103-2) and Our New Super-Destroyer (114-1), while British soldiers of the past, present and future are commemorated by Back from the Boer War (75-1), War Office Test (83-2) and The King's Shield (111-1), presented to school army cadets. The lavish Wedding of Lady Edwina Roberts (79-2) owed its scale to her being the daughter of Earl Roberts of Kandahar, one of Victorian England's greatest military heroes. There are also several glimpses of American soldiers in training, in New Jersey State Troops (103-2), American Manoeuvres (111-2) and U.S. Reserves in Training (114-1), as well as an oddly moving item about Frenchmen being called up for national service, The Call to the Colours (111-2). France and America were the primary foreign destinations for Topical's cameramen. The then President of France was depicted both at home (M. Poincaré at Rheims, 113-2) and abroad (President Poincaré's Visit to England, 96-1), though much of the French coverage was devoted to leisure. Sunday in Paris (78-1), Novel Seaside Sport (83-2) and The Grand Prix de France (103-2) depicted Frenchmen cycling, running, sand-yachting (the "novel seaside sport") and motor racing, though Topical Budget devoted a disproportionate amount of its Grand Prix report to the motorcycle and side-car event - won by an Englishman. An English team also won the National Cross-Country (83-2) championships at Juvisy. But it was America that grabbed the lion's share of the foreign coverage. A sense of its history is conveyed by various pageants, such as Famous American Carnival (83-1), Cowboy Pageant (114-1) and Historical Pageant (109-2), the latter recreating the early history of New York State. Sporting events were recorded in New York Water Sports (104-1), Rocky Mountain Marathon (111-2) and Racing in America (103-1), the race in question won by Whisk Broom II, who set a world speed record in the process. Back in Britain, millionaire horse breeder Alfred Vanderbilt pursued one of his hobbies in Opening of the Coaching Season (88-2). As with Topical Budget's Irish coverage, these were merely the earliest examples of what would eventually amount to hundreds of similar Transatlantic items. These capitalised on a fascination with US culture that was already apparent amongst the British populace many decades before America achieved its superpower status. Even in 1913, it was perceived as being big, brash and bold, which duly caught the popular imagination. Michael Brooke
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