Edwardian Insects on Film (2013)

03/19/2013 (GB) • 59m

Documentary

Overview

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.

Top Billed Cast

Charlie Hamilton James

Self - Presenter

Dr Tim Boon

Self - Science Museum, London

David Cleveland

Self - Film Archivist

Tim Cockerill

Self - Entomologist

Bryony Dixon

Self - Curator, Silent Film, BFI

Jenny Hammerton

Self - Film Archivist

Michael Harvey

Self - National Media Museum

Percy Smith

Self - archive footage


Recommendations

Desert Seas

90%

Czechoslovak Architecture 58–89

60%

Theatre 1

50%

Senritsu Kaiki File Super Kowa Too! Fear Adventure: Kokkuri-san

57%

Rock N'Roll Cop

54%

Aas Ka Panchhi

90%

School Privada Alfonsina Storni

80%

The Girl I Want

30%

Narigal

90%

Blondie Meets the Boss

58%

Comedy Times Three

50%

The Necrotic

50%

Placing the Fisheye

100%

Outro Rolê Pelas Encruzilhadas de Roça Asfaltada - um rude múuuuvie

80%

Operation: Save America

80%

The Fantasy of Deer Warrior

60%

In the Bath

50%

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

-

Revenue

-

Keywords

insect

movie business

percy smith

© All Rights Reserved 2025