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.
 

Bill with Nora on his motorcycle front right

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?



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April 21st 2001