THE LYE CARNIVAL OF 1928
Thanks to the kindness of Alan Crowe I have finally had the opportunity
to see the film of this event which was made for the Temp
Cinema. It's a fascinating ten minutes for anyone who knows the Lye.
What fun they all seem to have had! And it gave me a very odd feeling to
see my parents in the procession, as young people (mum would just have turned
twenty at this time) and having a whale of a time, waving to their friends
in the crowd. Moving images give you a feel for people that still photos
never can.
The little details are always worth watching for. The anger on the faces
of the two children who came second in the three-legged race. The two boys
sidling up to the cinema queue at the end of the film, and about-facing
when everyone's attention was distracted to make it look as though they
had always been there. Some of the costumes in the fancy-dress, especially
the Lola Montez look-alike (who wouldn't actually have been out of place
in the Haight in '66).
And what on earth was going on in that leaping-about competition for
men in suits?
BACK TO 1928
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April 21st 2001