Wonderful London

*From 16 July 2012*

In a major new restoration project, the BFI presents a unique collection of rare archival films beautifully restored which offer a fascinating glimpse of life in London during the 1920s. Over two series of short films, Wonderful London captured some of the most evocative images of the capital in the mid-1920s. These simple travelogues contrasted different aspects of city life – East End and West End, poor and rich, natives and immigrants – often looking beyond the stereotypes to show surprising views of the city. Rapidly produced, but told with wit and flair, the films offer a tourist's guide to both the familiar sites such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Tower of London but also to the unknown nooks and crannies of the London of 1924. This set includes 12 films from the collection, six of which are new restorations by the BFI National Archive reintroducing their original tinting and toning.