Portstewart in the 1950s

Back

Details

Location

Portstewart

Year

1957

Date

Length

04min 33sec

Audio

silent

Format

16mm

colour

Source

Digitised as part of the BFI's Unlocking Film Heritage project

Courtesy

British Film Institute, National Museums NI, Tourism NI

Rights Holder

Rights are managed by National Museums Northern Ireland on behalf of Tourism NI

It is illegal to download, copy, print or otherwise utilise in any other form this material, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Description

Take a trip back in time to Portstewart to bask in the beauty of a sunny day, blue sky and miles of golden sands.

A year round popular destination for holiday makers, Portstewart has a lot to offer. Let these Northern Ireland Tourist Board rushes take you on a mini tour of this charming coastal town. Watch the waves come crashing against the black rocks and take in the silent rhythms of life in the harbour. Lose yourself in the delightful play of holiday makers from the crowded pools of bathers to the lone figure walking on Portstewart Strand.

Eagle-eyed viewers might spot that this clip presents a reversed image of Portstewart. There are various reasons for this. One possibility could be that the editor made an error and used the wrong side of the film when splicing the reel together. Alternatively, when it was shot and processed, the footage may have been flipped due to an error by the film developer. These errors provide a fascinating insight into how these films were made. Often editors and developers worked under a quick turnaround with daily deadlines. For footage such as this, the film was often developed and assembled in London so it’s quite likely that the technicians didn’t have the local knowledge to see that the film was reversed. It is sometimes easy to forget that, particularly with old film, there were people behind the camera and in the cutting room working to tight deadlines and budgets. However, it is reassuring to see that they too were subject to that most human of things: making a mistake.”
 

Notes

These colour rushes by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board come from the collection of National Museums Northern Ireland.


Credits

Digitised as part of Unlocking Film Heritage.

Links

×

Please scroll to review and accept our terms and conditions (last updated on ) before viewing the moving images content.

To remember your terms and conditions acceptance, you can register as a site member or allow cookies on your browser.