Tilly, the Tomboy, Visits the Poor - 1910

Produced by British film pioneer Cecil Hepworth, around 20 of the popular series of 'Tilly' films were made between 1910 and 1915. Surviving episodes are brimming with a sense of anarchic fun as they follow the adventures of naughty schoolgirls Tilly and Sally, played by Chrissie White and Alma Taylor, who went on to become major stars of '20s British cinema.
'Tilly, the Tomboy...' is available to view here in a version re-edited to approximate the original cut (surviving archive materials were out of sequence). The sheer energy and silliness of this mischievous pair is infectious, further proof - if it were needed - of women's contribution to the tradition of slapstick in British comedy. (Simon McCallum)

A Day in the Hayfields - 1904

Very often when people think of England, they conjure up images of an idealised rural landscape on a hot summer's day; in 'A Day in the Hayfields', Cecil Hepworth gives us just that. We see the men and horses reaping and stacking as the village babies play in the piles of hay, throwing themselves into the soft grass with unalloyed abandon.
The film is a classic example of the 'interest film' - in one of its manifestations, the interest film would document agricultural or industrial process from beginning to end - here we see the haymaking from reaping to the finished rick, filmed with an eye for the picturesque.
Although made before the book was even written, the film will strike a chord with anyone who has read Flora Thompson's 'Lark Rise to Candleford' - this is the genuine article. (Bryony Dixon)