BFI

Herbert Campbell is filmed here in the Biograph studio, which was situated at that time on the Thames Embankment. Campbell is dressed as 'Little Bobby' for the 1899-1900 Drury Lane pantomime 'Cinderella'. He is seated at table in front of large meal, with a glass of beer beside him. He eats messily, then drinks the beer in one and grins at the camera.

The British Biograph Company filmed celebrities from the theatre and music halls. They exhibited their films nationally, with their flagship show at the Palace Theatre of Varieties on Shaftesbury Avenue (which is still operating today, showing Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals). Campbell was frequently partnered with Dan Leno, probably the best known of all music hall artists, and made some other films with him which are now sadly lost. Campbell was a large man, hence the comedic juxtaposition of him as a child. The film is operating on several levels, as a news item, as an advert for the pantomime and as a 'facial' comedy.

Bryony Dixon

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