BFI

The Derby (1896) is one of the earliest examples of newsreel footage, not just for the subject matter but also for the speed with which it was made, processed and screened.

R.W.Paul shot the finish of the 1896 Derby horse race (which was won by the Prince of Wales' horse, Persimmon), processed the film overnight and showed it to surprised and enthusiastic audiences at his regular screenings at two London venues (the Alhambra Theatre of Varieties in Leicester Square and the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly) the very next day, 4 June 1896.

This film is frequently confused with footage included in the 1929 compilation film Royal Remembrances. Although very similar in content and angle, it is not the same footage, and is generally believed to have been shot two years later, at the 1898 Derby (though this is contradicted by the intertitles).

Michael Brooke

*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilations 'Early Cinema: Primitives and Pioneers' and 'R.W. Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908'.

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