Magic Box, The (1951)

[bunniefuu]

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

Could I speak to Mrs. Friese-Greene,

please?

- Was it about a room?

- Well, no.

If she's not too busy, I'd like to see her.

Well, I'll find out, what name is it?

I'm her husband.

Oh, well, I'm sure she'll… I'll go and see.

Um, would you wait there, please?

Thank you.

Hello, Willie.

Hello, Edith.

Are you feeling better?

I hope you don't mind

my coming to see you here?

No, of course not, Willie.

You see, there's a reason.

Let's sit down.

The children were asking after you, Willie.

Were they? Bless them.

How's Vincent's cold?

It's better now.

I must send him something.

Oh, there's a nice letter from Claude.

He is doing well, isn't he?

Yes.

Are you sure you're well enough to be up?

Well, you know what the doctor said.

I'm perfectly all right.

Never felt better.

Edith, I've got some news for you.

News?

Color, there's no doubt about it this time.

I've got it at last.

The colors are better than

I've ever been able to get them before.

That's wonderful, Willie.

It's true, Edith, you'll see.

I'm glad you're happy about it.

I knew you would be.

That's why I came.

I wanted you to be the first to hear it.

You know what it'll mean,

my dear, don't you?

We can be together again,

a home of our own.

Willie…

It wouldn't work.

Oh, we shall have all the money

we need this time.

Well, this is the real thing.

It's practically perfect.

I mean, there's a fortune in this,

I know that.

Neither of us will ever have to work again.

We shall be the idle rich.

You idle, Willie?

You're very beautiful, my dear.

Sorry to interrupt you, Edith,

but would you check the luncheon menu?

Chef's waiting.

Oh, yes.

Sorry, Willie.

Oh, that's all right, my dear.

As a matter of fact,

I've got rather a lot to do today myself.

There's a big film industry meeting

on this afternoon.

I must be there.

Oughtn't you to rest instead of...

Oh, no, no, this is something I must go to.

You know,

the film industry's grown so quickly.

The people in it just don't realize

how important it is.

If they're not careful,

they're going to spoil it all.

Yes, of course.

Well, goodbye, Willie.

Goodbye.

Give my love to the children.

Yes, I will.

Good morning. Thank you very much.

Well, not at all.

What a charming man.

I know.

You're still very fond of him, aren't you?

Yes.

Why don't you go back to him?

Things are better left as they are.

And I should learn to mind my own business.

Oh, there's nothing secret about it.

It's just that, well,

Willie's not the sort of person

who should have other people

to worry about.

He must have been very handsome.

Yes, he was.

Successful.

The time when I met him,

I was working in a glove shop

at 15 shillings a week.

I wanted security.

Come on, there's something

I want to show you.

Sensational, pulling no less

than three fire engines!

- Walk up, walk up, walk up!

- Look, this is it.

Come and see the thrill of the century,

pictures that move!

Come inside

and have the thrill of your lifetime!

Let me show one penny, one copper coin,

a train entering a station so real

that it'll terrify you!

It's wonderful.

Did your Mr. Friese-Greene

really invent it?

Yeah, of course he did,

lots of other things, too.

You'd be amazed

at all the patents he's got.

- He's a grand chap.

- Is he married?

Yeah, he was.

She died two years ago.

It must be very exciting

to work for someone like that.

Yeah, it is.

Say, would you like to see the laboratory?

I've got a key.

- It's too late.

- No, it is not. I can show you around.

Come on, we'll get a bus.

Are you sure it's all right?

Oh yes, of course it is.

Only don't talk too loud, this way.

We have electric light in the lab.

We need the current for our experiments.

Mind the steps, I'll put on the light.

Turn that light out!

No, turn it on again.

Hello, Jack.

Oh. I'm… I'm terribly sorry, sir.

I had no idea you were still here.

I just wanted

to show someone the laboratory.

Oh, that's all right.

Uh, someone?

Oh, I beg your pardon, sir.

My fiancée, Miss Jones and Miss Harrison.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

How do you do? Please come in.

We're very sorry

to intrude upon you like this.

- Oh.

- We thought you'd be in bed.

Oh.

No, no, you're not intruding,

I'm very glad of an excuse to stop.

Besides, this is Jack's laboratory

just as much as it is mine, isn't it, Jack?

- Uh, well...

- Yes, of course it is.

We work together very closely, Jack and I.

What were you doing in the dark?

I've been trying to design something

to produce X-rays that doctors can use.

X-rays?

Mm, tell them about it, Jack.

He's so much better

at explaining things than I am.

- Well, sir...

- And there's the press.

Don't forget the press.

- Show them everything, Jack.

- Yes, sir.

Well, uh, the press.

Well, that's it.

What's it do?

Uh, it prints without using ink.

Oh.

Electrochemically.

What's this box?

Don't touch that, please.

Oh, no, you mustn't touch that.

Uh, May, May, come look at the X-rays.

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sure.

What is it?

It's a souvenir.

Doesn't look much, does it?

Wouldn't part with this

for nothing in the world.

It's my first moving picture camera.

You've done so many things, haven't you?

When I was making it, I was single-minded.

It was the only thing in the world

that mattered.

Isn't it anymore?

You see, I wanted to capture movement,

because movement,

it's part of the beauty of things,

isn't it?

Didn't it come right?

Yes, it came all right, in a way.

But you see, I lost someone.

And I suppose I lost interest.

In the beauty of things?

Possibly.

No, it wasn't that.

Of course it wasn't that.

I think that's something

no one quite loses.

Don't you?

The following day,

he came into the shop where I worked

to buy some gloves.

And he came in the day after that.

And yet again two days later.

Three pairs in four days?

He's fond of gloves, isn't he, dear?

Glass of port?

No, thank you. That was a lovely dinner.

Good. Will you dine with me again?

Yes, Mr. Friese-Greene, I'd like to.

You know, people call me Willie.

Funny sound, isn't it, Willie?

Mr. William Friese-Greene is very imposing.

Oh, that was the idea.

When I was a photographer,

you had to impress the sitters.

Willie Green wasn't enough.

So, I just tacked my wife's name onto it.

Then I put an E onto the Greene

just to make it balance, of course.

Do you know, when you came into

the laboratory the other night,

I had the most discourteous idea about you.

I can imagine. We interrupted your work.

Oh, no, not that.

I thought you were lonely.

That isn't discourteous.

Of someone young and attractive?

Of course it is.

It was clever of you to see it.

That must be because you know

about loneliness yourself.

Yes, that must be it.

- Your bill, sir.

- Thank you.

Three months later, we were married.

And at first, everything was perfect.

You couldn't have found

a happier married couple

anywhere in the world.

Willies' inventions were bringing in money,

and everything seemed secure.

We bought a new house at Dovercourt.

And it was there that Claude,

our first son, was born.

Soon after,

Willie began working on color film.

He spent all his time

on those color experiments.

They became an obsession with him.

Everything we had

went into those experiments.

And a great deal we didn't have.

As the family increased,

we began to have money troubles,

but Willie was single-minded.

He had this mission in life.

He lived in a world of lenses

and arc lights and filters.

And those, I found out,

are very expensive things.

We went bankrupt twice

and had to take a smaller house

in Brighton.

But it was the same story there,

debts all the time.

We seemed to owe money to everyone.

But Willies' color experiments

still went on.

Not that I really minded.

You see, we loved one another,

and I believed in what he was trying to do.

In fact, I think I would have gone on

with Willie forever.

Only one day,

it was soon after King Edward died,

one day, something happened.

Tea, Willie.

Shall I turn on the other lights, Mom?

No, thank you, Kenneth.

We can manage with these.

Hello, boys.

Good afternoon, Father.

God bless this food which now we take

and make us good for Jesus' sake.

- Amen.

- Ah, Maurice.

- Amen.

- Amen.

There you are, Maurice,

all alive and kicking.

Ants' eggs, fit as fleas now.

Now, put them on the floor Maurice,

until you've had your tea.

Mother,

our christening mugs have gone again.

Yes, Kenneth.

Have we lent them to father's friend again?

Have we, dear?

Hmm? Oh, yes, um, yes.

An uncle of mine is very kindly

looking after them for us.

Oh, I nearly forgot.

Look, what do you think of this?

- What about that?

- I say.

Now look at that sage green.

It's a difficult color to get.

- This one's pink.

- Let me see.

So it is, look at this.

Oh, mine's a beauty, lovely.

It's those new filters,

I must buy some more.

Now get on with your tea, boys.

Yes, come along, boys, give them back.

- Another...

- Oh, Father,

when can we have the money

for our new railway season tickets?

- You said to remind you.

- So I did, yes, uh, let me think.

When do they run out, Claude?

Oh, they have run out.

They ran out two weeks ago.

Then how have you been going?

Well at this end, they never look

at our tickets, and at the other end,

we just get out before the train gets into

the station and cut across the fields.

You get out while the train is moving?

It's quite safe, dear, I…

walked along there

and had a good look myself.

You see, the train slows down

almost to a standstill on the bend,

just before it gets into the station.

There's practically no risk at all.

I did it myself.

You did what?

I don't see why we need tickets at all.

No, Claude.

Now, that would be cheating

the railway company.

No, as soon as I get a check,

the tickets will be renewed and backdated.

Yes, where's Graham?

He's not in yet. Now, Willie...

Perhaps the ticket collectors caught him.

Quiet, Kenneth.

Until they get their new tickets,

I think they ought to walk

to school for a few days.

- Oh, do you? Well, perhaps...

- Oh, Father.

Ah, that's Graham now.

Go along, Kenneth, open the door.

He's very late, very late.

I must talk to that young man.

Is that you, Graham?

Hello, you're late.

I say, what's up?

- Nothing.

- What's the matter?

Good lord, man, look at your face.

Look at your clothes.

- Graham, what's happened?

- No, no, dear, let me.

Go back to your tea, Kenneth.

Back to your tea, boys.

Was it a fight?

Yes, Father.

Did you win?

No, Father.

I expect you will next time.

Now, what about coming downstairs

and having some tea?

I'm not really hungry.

Thank you, Father.

Well, what was it all about?

Graham, there.

Well, well, there, now.

Now, they have knocked you about.

Here.

There.

Come over here and sit down,

you're tired out.

It's not as bad as all that, is it?

Tell me all about it.

He, he said you were a liar and a thief.

Oh, did he?

Yes.

Did he give any reason?

Yesterday, we were talking

about the moving pictures and…

I said you invented them.

Yes.

Well, this morning,

he said he looked it up

at home in an encyclopedia,

and it said that Edison invented them.

You weren't mentioned in it at all.

And then, he said that his father said

that you owed everybody money

and never paid,

and that made you a thief as well.

Oh.

But you did invent the moving pictures,

didn't you, Father?

Yes, I think I did.

I wasn't the only one,

but I think I was the first.

Mine was the first patent, anyway.

There was a Frenchman called Le Prince

a year or so

before me who produced a camera

working on a different principle to mine.

But it's not like the one they use today,

and the one I invented is.

And in that sense, I was the first.

But the encyclopedia,

he said it didn't even mention your name.

Well…

Perhaps it isn't a very good encyclopedia.

That's what I said.

We do owe people money, don't we, Father?

Yes, I'm afraid we do.

But owing money isn't the same

as being a thief.

Is it?

No, not really.

Your face needs washing again, old chap.

You better tidy up a bit

and come down and have your tea.

I'll ask Mother if there's a piece of cake.

All right, Father.

- Father?

- Yes?

He was much bigger than I am,

or I would have beaten him.

I know you would. Thank you, Graham.

Did you hear?

Yes, darling.

But you mustn't take any notice.

I think I'll go for a walk.

Oh, give me that back, Claude.

No, I'm keeping it.

They could have mentioned my name,

couldn't they?

They could just have mentioned my name.

It wouldn't have hurt anybody.

That night, I realized something

that perhaps I'd known

for quite a long time.

That although Willie might work as usual

and make plans

for the day when everything

is going to be successful,

that day was never going to come.

We weren't going to be successful,

we weren't going to be rich.

As a family, we'd be lucky if we survived.

It wasn't until 1915

that the inevitable happened.

- Mr. Friese-Greene?

- I'm Mrs. Friese-Greene.

- Good morning, ma'am.

- Can I help you?

Yes, I'm the broker's man.

The landlord's distraining for rent.

My husband is in London today,

but he'll be back later.

You're new, aren't you?

Yes, just helping out ma'am, you know?

Your regular man's got

the Spanish influenza that's going about.

Very nasty thing, I'm told.

Well, now,

I like to save all the fuss I can.

Makes things pleasanter all around, eh?

You know the legal position, don't you?

The landlord is entitled to seize goods

to the value of the rent owing.

Naturally the law protects you, too,

certain goods can't be seized,

wedding apparel, bedding,

fixtures, ordinary fixtures, that is.

If you had any crops growing

in the garden ripe for picking,

they wouldn't count.

I say, what a nice, big sunny room this is.

If you had any property

belonging to the ambassador

of a foreign power, that's exempt.

We'll put it to the vote. Those in favor?

Against?

Right, carried unanimously,

we'll do it right away.

Oh, not you, Maurice,

you're not old enough.

- But I want to.

- So do I.

Well, you can't, you two stop here

and look after Mother.

Now let's take a peep upstairs, shall we?

Pure formality, of course.

These are three of my sons.

Oh, really?

Well-behaved, I hope, ma'am,

no practical jokes or funny business.

No, there's no need to worry.

I'm glad of that.

I, uh, I've had

some unpleasant experiences in my time.

- Age?

- Seventeen.

I didn't get it, son.

- Eighteen.

- Eighteen.

- And you?

- Eighteen.

Eighteen.

- And you're 18?

- Yes, sir.

All right, left turn, next!

Age?

- That's your lot.

- Don't we get uniforms?

All in good time.

Report at the barracks tomorrow,

10:30 sharp.

Bring your shaving kit, soap,

towel, spare pair of socks.

Call me sergeant, got it?

- Yes, sergeant.

- Off you go.

Seventeen, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 pounds,

and I have to give you

five shillings for your fee.

That's, right, isn't it?

I see you know your way about you.

- There's your receipt.

- Thank you.

I thank you for your courtesy.

Good afternoon to you, sir.

- Goodbye.

- Good day, sir. Good day, ma'am.

I won't say au revoir.

Two pounds and eight shillings.

That's all that's left.

You better keep it, dear.

Willie, where did you get this money?

You didn't borrow again?

My dear, I know nobody

will lend me money anymore.

Willie, please tell me.

I sold something, it's not important.

What did you sell?

All right.

It was the old camera.

Oh, Willie.

It's done now.

Anyhow, all my stuff's color nowadays.

I'm finished with black and white.

There, two pounds, eight shillings.

- Left, right, left, right, halt.

- There you are, my dear.

You call me sergeant, got it?

Those boys,

they're always playing soldiers nowadays.

Left, right, left, right,

left, right, halt.

Left turn.

Not now, boys.

Squad, present boots.

Oh, no.

Claude!

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Come on!

They'll send them back, won't they?

Must send them back

when they know they're underage.

I must find their birth certificates.

They're up here somewhere.

They had to grow up sometime, dearest.

It's what they wanted to do.

That's not true!

Darling… - It's not true.

I made Kenneth tell me,

but I knew it already.

They went because they didn't want

to be a burden to us any longer.

So we wouldn't have to feed

and clothe them.

- Oh, Edith.

- It's the truth, Willie!

And you'd have known it was the truth

if you weren't so blind.

But you don't see other people.

You see colors, filters,

little bits of machinery.

And that's the world for you.

What happens outside it is nothing.

Children who ask to be clothed and fed,

greengrocers,

landlords who want their money, they're…

they're all the same to you,

they're all creditors.

And all that matters is to keep them quiet

so that you can go on with your work.

That's not fair, Edith.

I don't care

whether it's fair or not, Willie.

I'm done with being fair.

I'm done.

So after that, I got a job,

and I took a place

for the children and myself.

I knew that I had to leave him,

because he couldn't take

the responsibility of us any longer.

Would you ever go back to him?

You see, I know the truth

about Willie and me now.

- The truth?

- Look at the paper.

There on the city page,

this big film meeting that he talked about,

you heard what he said, he has to be there.

He doesn't have to be there.

Doesn't matter whether he's there or not.

Nobody knows him anymore.

At least, nobody that matters.

Nobody cares for his opinion.

What Willie Greene thinks

hasn't mattered for years.

But he doesn't know that.

Thinks he still belongs.

I think the truth is that

when I first met him,

his real life was already over.

I never knew the real Willie.

He was before my time.

I, um,

I wish to impress upon you strongly

that there has been

no behind-the-scenes attempts

to prejudice the results

of our deliberations here today.

Now the… the reason that we're met

here today is so that the cinema owners

and the people who rent and produce films

can work out and agree a common policy

for the film industry as a whole.

The truth is, Lord Beaverbrook,

we're in the hands of foreigners.

And British screens should be used

for British film!

Mr. Chairman,

nobody is more patriotic than I am,

but our cinemas can't run

without foreign films.

Sit down.

Mr. Chairman, we're in this business

to make money, not lose it.

And don't you forget it!

- This will end in a riot, you'll see.

- Order!

Gentlemen, I propose

that we forget the past.

So, if we forget the past,

we shall perhaps be able to persuade…

- The past.

- some of these angry gentlemen.

The past.

Forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past,

forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past,

forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past,

forget the past,

forget the past, forget the past.

One, two, three, four,

good, six, perfectly still, please,

10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

15, 16, steady, 18, 19,

20, steady, 22.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!

Hurry up, hurry up!

Oh, just a moment, sir.

Well, is it finished?

- Well, I've only just put it in.

- All right, all right.

Mm, mm-hm.

Yes, I'm a good photographer.

The best in Bristol.

They all look terribly stiff though,

don't they, sir?

You know, I read the other day

that in Germany,

they're working on a photographic plate

with an exposure of less than one second.

Think of it, one second.

What would Fox Talbot say to that?

Ah, Fox Talbot?

But why not send for some of this stuff,

Mr. Guttenburg,

and see if it works?

If it does,

people wouldn't have to keep so still

while they're being photographed.

They could move.

Move? But if they move, they blur.

What is this nonsense that you speak?

Well, I didn't quite mean that they...

Don't waste my time, there's the broom.

- Sweep up the dark room floor.

- Yes, Mr. Guttenburg.

Ah, good morning, milady.

Mr. Guttenburg,

did you take that photograph?

- Milady?

- Well, look at it, man. Look at it!

Now, this is your own work.

- Now, then...

- No, no, no, milady.

What's that?

- That is not my work, milady.

- What nonsense.

My daughter told me distinctly.

This is her friend, Miss Helena Friese.

And this is where the photograph was taken.

It's an excellent one,

and I want my own daughter

photographed in exactly the same way.

Milady, I would with great pleasure

take the photograph

of your daughter,

but this photograph is not by me.

I would have my name on the mount.

Miss Friese told my daughter distinctly.

The composition is not such as I use.

Miss Friese told my daughter distinctly

that she came here.

I am not accustomed

to having my word questioned!

I assure you, milady…

Mr. Guttenburg, what is this nonsense?

Look!

That is the very background.

Ah, yes.

I think I understand.

Willie!

Willie!

Willie!

Yes, Mr. Guttenburg?

Um, your permit, milady?

What is the matter with you?

You took this?

Yes, Mr. Guttenburg.

- I think I did.

- I see.

Milady, I apologize.

This photograph was taken in my studios.

Well, that's what I said.

Sometimes, my assistant is allowed

to take the unimportant sitters,

children, domestic servants.

Miss Friese is neither

a child nor a domestic servant.

She is a friend of my daughter's

from Switzerland.

- Milady, I did not mean...

- I'm not interested in what you meant.

If this young man took this portrait,

then he is the person

to photograph my daughter.

She will be here for a sitting

on Tuesday at three o'clock.

Kindly see that everything

is ready for her.

- Allow me.

- Thank you.

If you make a good likeness, young man,

I shall require you to photograph me.

Good morning.

Come here!

Well?

- Well, Mr. Guttenburg...

- Silence!

- Yes, Mr. Guttenburg.

- Hmm.

This young Swiss lady.

She's a friend of yours, eh?

- Yes.

- Hmm, that's very nice.

She is pretty, you think?

Oh, yes, she is.

She's very delicate, very delicate.

She's been ill a lot.

And then her mother died and…

Of course, she's living over here

with relatives just now.

You hope, perhaps some day, to marry her?

Well, I…

If you do not wish to beg your bread

in the gutter,

you will obey me when I speak.

You'll take no more photos in these

studios that I do not order you to take.

I am the photographer here!

And if you will not obey me, you will go!

You understand? Speak!

Yes, Mr. Guttenburg.

Helena?

Willie.

- Hello.

- Hello.

Mrs. Josty says you're better today.

- Oh, yes, I'll soon be very strong.

- Good.

What have you got there?

You look absolutely perfect

like that, perfect.

I'd like to photograph you

just as you are now,

in that white dress on this wicker couch.

Oh, Willie,

you can't take the couch to the studio.

Oh no, and I won't be able

to take you anymore, either.

Lady Pond came to see Mr. Guttenburg today.

She brought that photograph I took of you

and showed it to him.

Oh Willie, I am sorry. Was he very angry?

Well, he was a bit upset. Do you know,

Helena, sometimes I almost think

he must be jealous.

Why do you smile?

Oh Willie, it's so like you.

- It's obvious to everyone.

- What do you mean?

That you are the better photographer

than Mr. Guttenburg

and that he knows it.

Do you really think that?

Oh, this is for you.

Thank you, Willie.

- And the other one?

- Oh, that's just a German book on lenses.

I wondered if you weren't too tired,

if you'd translate some of it for me?

Oh yes, of course I would. But Willie,

I have got something for you, too.

Oh, thank you very mu… - Look.

The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine?

That must be very interesting, thank you.

No, no, not to read.

No, someone has made little drawings in it.

Look.

By Jove!

Do that again.

Isn't that wonderful?

I thought it might interest you.

Oh, this is much more than interesting.

This demonstrates

the most amazing principle.

Persistence of vision, that's what

this is, persistence of vision.

- Is it new?

- Good gracious, no.

It's as old as the hills.

The ancient Romans knew about this.

Now what is really happening when you see

those pictures apparently moving

is that the nerves

at the back of the eye, the retina,

are flashing each picture separately

to the brain, see?

But the brain retains each picture

a fraction

of a second

after it's flicked past the eye,

so that if you suddenly remove one picture,

the brain still has an image of it

a fraction of a second later.

And if you immediately replace it

with another

but slightly different picture,

it won't seem like two pictures at all,

but like the same one moving.

- Simple, isn't it?

- Yes.

Do you know, Helena,

if it's ever possible to make a camera

that will photograph movement,

this is the principle that will be used.

- Willie?

- Hmm?

Why do you work for Mr. Guttenburg?

- Why?

- Yes, why?

You are an experimenter.

Somebody who tries out new things.

Yes, but I got to earn my living,

haven't I?

Well then

why don't you open a studio yourself?

Oh no, Willie, no. I'm serious.

And annoy old Guttenburg?

Oh, that would be wonderful.

Then why not?

Money, I haven't got a farthing.

Well, there's the money

your grandfather left.

I don't think that would be enough.

- Are you sure?

- I don't…

I don't know. I must think about that.

Oh Willie,

you are a wonderful photographer.

All you need is a little courage.

And you'd give me that, wouldn't you?

You know, I believe you're right.

I shall have to choose the right moment.

Moments of importance choose themselves.

The sun's just touching your hair.

It's perfect.

I don't want my photograph taken.

Oh now, come along, Victoria.

- Do be a good girl.

- Don't be so silly, Victoria.

Please turn around, dear.

Don't be so silly.

- I don't want my photograph taken.

- Oh now, come along, Victoria.

Do turn 'round.

But she'll be so disappointed, you know.

She wants to see the dickey bird.

Yes, show her the dickey bird.

That's the idea, now you hold her there,

gently but firmly,

a little lower, that's the idea. Now…

Quite comfy?

Now, nanny, you comfy, too?

There now, nanny, look at Victoria.

Harry, look at me, now,

where's the dickey bird?

Let me see, oh, he's fine.

He's all ready to pop out.

Dickey bird is very quick, of course,

so you must watch very carefully,

very carefully, indeed.

Hey, what, now then,

quite happy, quite still.

- One moment.

- Now.

I said one moment!

That rag, that little girl holds a rag.

I cannot have that rubbish in the picture.

But most of it's not in the picture.

If it is, I can paint it out.

- What is this nonsense?

- She won't pose without it.

With children, one has to be firm,

gentle but firm.

See?

Oh, no, no, please, Mr. Gutten...

Now little girl, give that to me.

- Give that to me!

- No, don't.

You beast!

Ah!

Oh, oh!

Harry, Harry, you come here!

I don't know what's come over them.

they're so good as a rule.

Now just behave yourself, Harry.

You need to be quiet.

Oh, Victoria, do stop crying, dear.

It's all right.

I think I'll have to take them home.

I know what'll happen, Victoria'll be sick.

Oh, oh, but the photograph, the photograph.

We'll come back another day.

Come along, both of you!

Such children,

they should be beaten soundly.

Wasting the time.

You are a clumsy fool now, aren't you?

You're stupid, too, stupid.

You're always talking

about your experience.

But you haven't even realized yet

that some people

don't like being photographed!

I will not be spoken to like this.

I am the photographer here!

No, you're a clumsy fool, Mr. Guttenburg,

and you're no photographer.

How dare you speak to me like this,

you are finished!

I'm telling you the truth, Mr. Guttenburg!

- You're finished, finished!

- You're wrong, Mr. Guttenburg!

I'm only just beginning!

Well, your wife has a list

of the things she needs.

If the child is to be born here,

you must call the midwife for tomorrow.

You must get in touch with me

this evening, anyway,

to say what you've decided,

so that I may make

the necessary arrangements.

I will, doctor.

And young man, you look after yourself too.

Are there no relations

or friends who might help?

No, not here.

Well, let me know what you've decided.

Yes, of course. Thank you, doctor.

- Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

Oh, it's cold enough to snow!

Not a very cheerful man, the doctor.

No.

When the shop bell went,

I thought it might be a customer.

There hasn't been a customer for two days.

I don't mind going in to the infirmary.

- No, no.

- But if it's better for the baby...

No, I've seen inside that place.

Is this the doctor's list?

Yes.

Darling, I've got to go out now

for a little.

I shan't be long, will you be all right?

Yes.

- Sure?

- Yes.

Goodbye.

Good afternoon.

Hello, Mr. Friese-Greene.

How's the rheumatism?

Darling?

- Helena.

- Hmm?

Look.

What?

All the things the doctor ordered.

But Willie, how?

Well, I went to see the bank manager

and he said he thought

I was a very steady young fellow

- and he gave me the key to the safe.

- Oh, Willie.

I'm going to make you

some hot milk right away.

Good afternoon, madam.

Good afternoon.

I wish to have a photograph taken.

Certainly, madam. Now, let me see.

What day would you care

to make an appointment?

Oh, I rather want it done today.

- Today?

- Yes.

You see, I must have

the finished portraits by tomorrow.

I'm leaving for India

to join my husband the day after,

and my sister wants

a likeness of me as a keepsake.

- I see.

- Of course, if you're not able to do it,

I shall have to go elsewhere.

No, that's quite all right, madam.

I quite understand.

Will you kindly step into the studio?

Thank you.

Would you care to sit down

and tidy your hair?

May I take your cape?

Would you like me to remove my hat?

I don't think so, no.

It makes the most charming frame

for the face.

Excuse me one moment, please.

Darling, a customer!

Willie, how wonderful.

- But I've got no plates.

- What do you mean?

Nothing, nothing at all, don't worry.

Ah, thank you, Mr. Friese-Greene.

Can I collect those photographs

first thing tomorrow morning?

Certainly, madam. I wonder

if I might have your name and address.

- Oh.

- Just for the books, of course.

Oh, of course, yes. Mrs. Stukely.

- Mrs. Stukely.

- Yes, the Copse.

- Copse.

- Wells Road.

Wells Road?

Oh, and I see that it's usual

to leave a deposit.

Oh, well, it's just a professional custom,

a guinea or something like that.

I never charge for the sitting, of course.

Oh no, of course. Well, then.

- Thank you very much, Mrs. Stukely.

- And first thing tomorrow morning?

Hmm? Oh yes, yes.

Good afternoon, Madam.

Good afternoon.

Hello, I was just closing up.

Those plates, I want to redeem one box.

But you've only just put them in.

I know, but I've just had a customer,

she paid.

I've got enough for one box.

Now, now,

I can't split up the pledge like that.

It means altering my book.

Besides, I thought you said

those were all the plates you had.

What did you use to do the job?

I didn't do the job at all,

I just pretended to.

When she comes back tomorrow,

I'll tell the lady

I had an accident with the plates,

then I'll take her properly.

She'll get her photographs, all right,

that is, if you'll let me add one box.

Please, you must, just one box.

Mr. Friese-Greene, if you're half as good

at getting customers

as you are at getting around me,

you wouldn't be in here at all.

- All right, give us the ticket.

- Thank you.

It's all right, darling, it's all right!

I've got the plates back.

Darling.

Quick, get the doctor.

Anything I can do? No.

Well, Mr. Friese-Greene, you're a father.

I know. Is Helena all right?

She's had a bad time,

you'll have to look after her.

- It's a girl.

- That's wonderful!

Some people always seem to want

the first one to be a boy, but I always

say that girls bring good fortune.

- Congratulations, Mr. Friese-Greene.

- Thank you.

Thank you, doctor, very much.

And I hope I'm right

about the good fortune.

Doctor, I think you are!

- Good morning.

- Mr. Friese-Greene?

Yes, sir. I want my family photographed.

Certainly, sir. All together?

Well, all together and separately.

Eight photographs in all.

We've decided to start a family bible.

Splendid, sir.

I know exactly how you feel, sir.

I'm a family man myself.

Will you step this way?

Hold it… quite still, all of you.

You have a very charming daughter,

Mr. Friese-Greene.

And I have a very clever husband.

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ Oh where is he, oh where is he ♪

♪ No sight of thee, no sight of thee ♪

♪ That I can see, oh where is he ♪

♪ Oh where, oh where, oh where is he ♪

♪ True love has forsaken me ♪

♪ Where can he be, where can he be ♪

♪ Oh, where can he be ♪

♪ Tell us, tell us ♪

♪ Where, oh where is he ♪

♪ I know not, I know not ♪

♪ Do… ♪

Early, Mr. Friese-Greene,

you came in a little too soon.

Only just a little,

but it makes all the difference.

♪ Ba-room, ba-room

Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room ♪

♪ I know not ♪

Simple. Couldn't be simpler.

Let's try it again, shall we?

Letter… Letter F.

♪ Tell us, tell us ♪

♪ Where, oh, where is he ♪

♪ I know not, I know not ♪

♪ Do not ask of me ♪

♪ Sorry, but we hear him speaking ♪

♪ High and low we have been seeking ♪

♪ Sorry, but we hear him speaking ♪

♪ High and low we have been seeking ♪

♪ Can you hear us sing, you can

Come forth if you can ♪

♪ High and low ♪

♪ High and low ♪

♪ Sorry but we hear him speaking ♪

♪ High and low ♪

Ladies and gentlemen,

I've just received

a most important piece of news.

I have to tell you that for

our performance of this great work,

no less a person

than Sir Arthur Sullivan himself

has consented to come down

to Bath to conduct us.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm sure you are aware that a signal honor

that's being conferred upon us.

We must see that Bath does its best

to rise to this momentous occasion.

As time is very short,

I suggest that Mrs. Claire

and Mrs. Friese-Greene

of the ladies' committee

go at once into the question

of special dresses for this concert.

Is that agreeable?

Then, the general committee

will notify you in due course

of the other arrangements.

Mr. Friese-Greene, our only male soloist,

watch Sir Arthur's baton.

That will be all.

Well, well, well, Helena,

so it's up to the pair of us.

We shall need your help, Mr. Friese-Greene.

Oh, yes, yes, of course.

We must talk about it right away,

this evening.

Oh, well in that case,

you'll have to excuse me, my dear.

I promised to look in on Rudge.

Do you think you and Mrs. Claire could...

- Oh Willie, not tonight, surely.

- Yes, I did say I'd look in.

You see,

we've got the new machine assembled.

If I were you, Helena,

I should be quite jealous of Mr. Rudge.

Oh I am, but don't be too late,

we really have quite a lot to settle.

No, no. I'll be home

almost as soon as you are.

- Goodbye, love.

- Goodbye.

- Oh, it's so exciting, isn't it?

- It is, really.

You're right about that condenser lens,

Willie. It does make a difference.

In fact, I think we might redesign

the optical system completely, don't you?

Isn't it going to be rather expensive,

Mr. Rudge?

Yes, I daresay,

but I think we ought to try it.

- A glass of port, Willie?

- Yes, please.

Oh, by the way, I saw Fox Talbot today.

He wants to meet you.

Fox Talbot?

Helena!

- Helena.

- Oh, Willie.

You just came in at the right time.

Mrs. Claire must go now,

and we just can't decide what color

we want to use for the sashes.

- For the concert.

- What color are the dresses?

White.

Well, darling, should it be red

or should it be blue?

- Or do you think this is rather nice?

- Now let me… well.

Forgive me,

you could hardly do better

than that with white, could you?

Wine, of course.

Helena,

you have the most brilliant husband,

and so artistic, too. The wine it shall be.

Now, look, I must get back

to Mr. Claire. Goodbye, my dear.

- Allow me.

- Good night.

- I'll see you tomorrow.

- Yes, tomorrow.

I'm so glad we have you here to guide us,

Mr. Friese-Greene.

It's a tremendous responsibility

on your wife and me.

Yes, yes, indeed...

It's alright, I'll see myself out.

- Are you quite sure?

- Yes, quite sure.

Good night, Mrs. Claire.

Wonderful news, wonderful news.

- Oh, isn't it?

- Oh no, not the concert.

Rudge, Rudge has some really big news.

He's going to stay with Fox Talbot,

and I'm invited over on the 20th.

Darling, Fox Talbot.

That's the man

who actually invented photography.

Isn't it wonderful?

But Willie, the concert is on the 20th.

Oh. Oh, is it?

Oh, never mind, that'll be all right.

Fox Talbot's place isn't very far out.

I'll hire a carriage to take me there

and bring me back.

I'll be there in plenty of time

for the concert.

I'll go straight to the assembly rooms,

plenty of time.

Just imagine,

I'm actually going to meet Fox Talbot.

I can't believe it.

Mr. Friese-Greene, sir.

Well, we tried to gauge and set each one.

Ah, ah.

Do you think it looks good?

Yes, yes, yes, indeed.

Ah, Willie.

Uh, this is Mr. Friese-Greene,

whom I spoke to you about, Fox Talbot.

Ah, oh, yes, yes, how do you do?

I was just telling Rudge here

how interesting

I find this phantoscope.

He tells me that quite a lot

of the work on it was yours.

It's very interesting.

As I see it, your problem is

that the images,

although presented in succession,

are not presented separately in succession,

so they blur.

Yes, yes, yes.

Well, that is, of course,

because the divisions between the pictures

pass at the same speed

as the pictures themselves.

What you want is some sort

of intermittent action, huh?

That's exactly what Friese-Greene's

been onto me about.

I'm going to the concert now, Maggie.

I've looked at Ethel, she's sound asleep.

- I don't think she will wake.

- Thank you, ma'am.

Will the master be returning

before the concert tonight?

No, no, he will be dressing

at the assembly rooms.

I see. Oh my, you do look lovely.

Oh, I hope everything goes all right.

Yes, yes, it will, good night, Maggie.

You see, what I've been thinking of

is something

that could pass in front of the lens,

stop, be exposed,

then go on to make way

for another piece to be exposed.

- Paper, perhaps?

- That's possible.

There are people in London

who could help him about that.

That's what I tell Willie.

For this kind of work,

he ought to be in London.

Now, she's wearing

a very old style, isn't she?

♪ Hail the name of Israel's glory ♪

♪ Hail his fair and yule times' w*r ♪

I see a face and it is alive.

I photograph it and I have a likeness,

but something is gone.

Human beings are not still.

Their movements are part of them.

♪ Watching and waiting ♪

♪ Here to greet him ♪

♪ Oh, my love, please don't delay ♪

♪ Such cruel was this day profane ♪

♪ Such cruel was this day profane ♪

- ♪ Watching and waiting ♪

- ♪ Waiting ♪

♪ Heart becomes one ♪

♪ Yearning of his brides' worry ♪

♪ Such cruel was this day profane ♪

♪ Such cruel was this day profane ♪

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ He's gone away, oh where is he ♪

♪ Oh, where is he, oh where is he ♪

♪ No sight of him that I can see ♪

♪ That I can see ♪

♪ Oh where is he ♪

♪ Oh where, oh where, oh where is he ♪

Your husband hasn't come.

Who's going to do the solo?

♪ My true love has forsaken me ♪

♪ Where can he be, where can he be ♪

♪ Oh where can he be ♪

♪ Tell us, tell us ♪

♪ Tell us, oh where, oh where is he ♪

♪ I know not, I know not ♪

♪ Do not ask of me ♪

♪ Watching, waiting ♪

♪ Here to greet him ♪

♪ High and low we have been seeking… ♪

I want to make a camera

that will photograph movement.

Oh… I'm so sorry.

I've been talking too much.

No, no, no, no,

most interesting, Mr. Friese-Greene.

You won't, I hope,

mind me giving you a word of advice?

No, indeed, sir.

The original thinker, the innovator,

mustn't mind seeming a little foolish

to his contemporaries.

He must always look to his star.

I understand.

In the end, he may still fail.

That's unimportant.

If he's true to himself,

he won't be too unhappy or embittered,

even in failure,

and will still speak for what's good.

You will remember that, young man.

Yes, sir.

Helena.

Darling.

- Willie...

- Don't speak for a moment.

I've got so much to tell you,

I don't know where to begin.

Now sit down, keep calm,

and I'll try and tell you all about it.

Now, where to begin?

Where, where?

The laboratory, absolutely amazing.

As big as all these rooms in one,

with everything

you could possibly wish for.

Must have cost thousands, thousands.

And Fox Talbot, the man himself...

Willie.

Helena, darling,

I can't tell you how exciting it was.

We talked and talked and talked.

And he was really interested in my ideas.

The man who invented photography.

I can tell you, I felt proud.

But one thing sticks out a mile.

Making pictures move

is going to be a bigger job

than ever I dreamed of.

There are difficulties,

problems I hadn't even thought of.

Well, glass, we've got to get rid of glass.

Glass plates are no good,

they're no good at all.

We must find something entirely different.

And Helena, we've got to go to London.

Yes, London, they said too… Well, you see,

the instrument makers alone,

the finest craftsmen on earth.

And do you realize,

I've never even been

to the photographic society?

- Willie...

- No no, darling, now please let me finish

and I'll tell you exactly

how it can be done.

I thought it all over

in the cab coming home.

You remember that north country chap

Arthur Collings who was here,

the one who wanted me to go

into partnership in London? Remember?

Well, only yesterday, isn't it strange,

he wrote to me again, Collings.

Friese-Greene and Collings, London.

Wouldn't it be wonderful?

I'm going to put everything into this.

Everything…

What's the time?

Oh, my dear.

Oh, my darling.

Oh, Willie.

You are detestable.

You promised to be there.

Faithfully, you promised.

I was so ashamed.

You think of nobody, nobody but yourself.

The whole world can wait

if you have other things to do.

As long as Willie Greene is happy,

nothing matters.

You are a child, a stupid, clumsy child…

Darling.

Dearest, I know it's no use apologizing,

but I would like to try to explain.

You see, I just didn't think.

That sounds horribly selfish,

I know, but it's the truth.

I know how it happened, all right.

You see,

I'd never met men like that before,

and talking to them,

all the problems in my mind

that had seemed like blurred images before,

they… they suddenly stood out

in sharp focus.

It was like coming out of a fog

into the sunlight.

I suppose I just got carried away

and I forgot everything else.

I forgot the concert, that's how it was.

I forgot your new dress.

I may even have forgot you.

It will seem strange in London after here.

Good morning, Miss Tagg, good morning.

- Good morning, Mr. Friese-Greene.

- Where's Mr. Collings?

He's at Piccadilly.

Harold is taking Colonel Parker now.

Good, good.

Oh, Mr. Friese-Greene?

Good morning, Harold.

Oh good morning, Mr. Friese-Greene.

- Good morning, Colonel.

- What, what's that?

Oh, Mr. Friese-Greene?

Mr. Collings said to be sure and remind you

not to forget about tonight

for you and Mrs. Friese-Greene.

- Eight o'clock, evening dress.

- Isn't that a lovely piece of work?

You know, these instrument makers,

they really are…

- Mr. Friese-Greene...

- They're artists, craftsmen.

You see, the idea behind this machine,

Miss Tagg,

is that in this camera I'm going to build,

instead of pulling the paper through,

I can perforate the edges

with these sprocket punches

and roll it through.

Then it shouldn't tear so easily.

- I think it'll work, don't you?

- Yes, it's very clever.

Mr. Collings said to be sure to remind you

not to forget about tonight.

Tonight? Oh no, I won't forget.

Isn't it a lovely piece of work?

Isn't it, Miss Tagg?

Yes, it's wonderful.

The toast is to

Mrs. Friese-Greene and Collings

and the second year of our partnership.

- May it continue to prosper.

- That's right.

Well, ladies,

I've got a little surprise here.

And what is it?

We're going to open two new studios.

- Hey, that's grand.

- Oh Willie, you didn't tell me.

We wanted to keep it a surprise,

Mrs. Willie.

- We only completed today, my love.

- Oh, how wonderful.

And where are they going to be?

Grosvenor Street and Sloane Street.

And why? Well, I'll tell you.

Because, Mrs. Willie,

your husband is a very clever chap.

Just think, he comes up

from the provinces to London

hardly able to find his way

from Leicester Square to Hyde Park Court

and in a few years, he's well on the way

to being the most fashionable photographer

in London.

Well, I'm more the businessman,

I think to myself,

if it's going to be the thing to have

the name of Friese-Greene on your pictures,

we'll make it easy.

Expensive, of course, but easy.

We'll make a fortune, eh, Nell?

That's right.

But Willie can't be in four studios

at once.

Oh, he'll just do the important sitters,

the titled ones.

The rest he'll just supervise.

But not all the time, Arthur.

And don't forget my experimental work.

- That's part of the agreement, too.

- Of course, of course.

But let me tell you, Willie,

we'll soon be making so much money,

you won't want to be bothered

with experiments.

- That's right, isn't it, Mrs. Willie?

- Aye, that's right.

Waiter, fill up the glasses again,

will you?

Then we'll order some dinner.

Well, celluloid, Mr. Friese-Greene.

I want this, in very thin strips

about a 64th of an inch.

- Oh no, we can't get it that thin.

- Can't you? If you can't, I will.

Let me have some of this stuff.

Mr. Collings, I have an appointment

with Mr. Friese-Greene at three o'clock.

I've been waiting half an hour.

This is most aggravating.

Where is Mr. Friese-Greene?

I haven't seen him, Mr. Collings.

He must be at one of the other studios.

Where's Mr. Friese-Greene?

I'm sorry, Mr. Collings, I don't know.

Where is Mr. Friese-Greene?

I haven't seen him, Mr. Collings.

Then where is he?

You were told to find out

where he was going when he went out.

But when I ask him,

Mr. Collings, he only smiles.

The viscountess has been waiting

for 25 minutes. Try Piccadilly.

But I have, Mr. Collings,

as they told me he was here.

What's that, what's that?

They're trying to find out

where Mr. Friese-Greene is, milady.

- Where is this fellow?

- Miss Tagg!

- It's absolutely disgusting.

- I agree with you, milord.

Miss Tagg, find out

what's happened to Mr. Friese-Greene.

But I have been trying to find out,

sir, nobody knows.

Nearly right, Bob. Put plenty in this time.

It smells just like...

Yes, yes, stir it up, stir it up.

Now, Mrs. Friese-Greene,

I must be getting on my rounds.

It was very good of you to call, doctor.

It's a pleasure, ma'am.

Now, remember what I told you.

You're very delicate, you always have been

and you must accept that fact.

You'll need plenty of rest

and above all, no worrying.

Leave the worrying to your husband.

I'll remember, doctor.

Doctor, don't mention anything

to him about, uh…

well, about what you've just said.

It will only upset him.

I won't have to,

as long as you do as I tell you.

Forgive me, what is that strange smell?

Oh, it's, it's, it's only my husband.

He has got his laboratory

down in the basement.

Oh, I thought he was a photographer?

Well, give him my kind regards.

I will.

Will you excuse me?

Hello Mrs. Willie, where is he?

All right, I know, pardon me.

- My husbands' partner.

- Indeed.

- Well, goodbye, Mrs. Friese-Greene.

- Goodbye.

Now don't be ridiculous, Arthur,

I can't be everywhere at once.

And I've told you time and again

how important this work is to me.

And now let me tell you

something, listen! I won't put up with it.

I've reasoned, I've pleaded

with you. I've tried to be understanding.

But enough's enough,

you haven't played fair, Willie.

And now eight cancellations in 48 hours,

including that duchess

and a Russian princess.

I couldn't have made

a decent portrait of her anyway!

Then why accept the sitting, then? Why?

No, Willie, it's not good enough.

You're ruining the business.

Rubbish!

It may be rubbish to you,

but I'm a businessman.

I'm not going to mess about losing money

while you do crackpot experiments

like this, do you hear?

Yes, I hear! Give that to me.

And now let me tell you something,

Mr. Collings.

You big businessmen are all the same.

Just because you can read

a profit and loss account

and know where to sign your name

on a bill of exchange,

you think you're entitled to tell

the rest of the world exactly what to do.

The big business oracles.

Anything that isn't busy making money

for you is a waste of time.

Anything you can't understand

is a crackpot experiment.

But remember this,

if it weren't for the crackpot experiments

and the people who make them,

most of you businessmen

wouldn't exist at all!

Except as marketplace peddlers!

Please, Willie, that's enough.

- Oh, I'm a peddler, am I?

- Yes!

And I've got some work to do, real work!

Get out of my way.

Oh, I can see it's hopeless.

I'm not going on with you, Willie.

- I'm dissolving the partnership.

- But Arthur, why?

I'll tell you why, Mrs. Willie,

I can't afford it.

Look at that lot, bills,

bills for all this rubbish,

but charged up to the business.

I'm not stingy, but I'm not a fool either.

I've had enough.

There's 1,200 pounds in there, Willie.

You can pay it out of your own pocket.

I'm going to see a lawyer.

Oh!

Well.

That's that.

- Can we pay them?

- Twelve hundred pounds?

Just about,

but there's as much again to come in.

And so much, oh, so much still to be done.

I can't stop now, Helena, I can't.

Of course you can't. But the money.

We'll find the money somehow.

We'll find a way.

Yes.

- Willie.

- Hmm?

We own this house, don't we?

Of course, Mr. Friese-Greene.

We never mind an overdraft

secured against bricks and mortar.

That's a very nice house you've got.

And if you'd mind just signing there

at the bottom.

There.

You opening another branch?

You see that, Tom?

The ball's got to fit much more snugly

into the ratchet.

- Oh, yes.

- We're getting too much play there.

So as you're my only relative

in London, Cousin Alfred,

- I naturally thought of you first.

- So we'll make money out of it?

Certain to, this is absolutely new.

- There's nothing else like it.

- No, I suppose not.

But, do you think people

really want to see moving pictures?

Here we are, Mr. Friese-Greene.

Finished at last.

- You've done a good job here, Tom.

- I think it's pretty fair, sir.

How's the celluloid going?

Oh, terrible stuff,

makes such awful smells.

My wife can't stand it in the home,

so I had to fit up a lab

in the city off Holborn.

Do you think it'll work?

I don't know, Mr. Leslie.

To tell you the truth,

I've put so much into this,

I hardly have the courage to make the test.

Ah, well.

Oh, by the way,

Mr. Friese-Greene, the account...

Oh, that's quite all right.

Just send it along to me at the lab,

24 Brook Street, Holborn.

Thanks, Tom, good day, Mr. Leslie.

Good day, Mr. Friese-Greene.

Come along, Ethel, we're just going!

Willie, you're not ready.

Aren't you coming to church?

No, I don't think so, not this Sunday.

- Don't you feel well?

- Yes, I feel all right.

I just don't feel like going to church.

I may see Cousin Alfred.

Oh dear, has he written again?

No, no, I just invited him

to come for a stroll in the park.

You invited him?

Yes, just to keep him in touch

with the progress and so forth.

Oh well.

Have you got the prayer books?

Yes, Mama.

Don't be late for lunch.

No, no. Goodbye. Enjoy yourselves.

We are going to church, Willie.

What? Oh, yes, yes. Uh, goodbye.

Now remember, Bertie,

we're going to meet your Uncle Willie.

Ten to one he's after money again.

So you mind your words.

I don't want you repeating anything

you've heard me say to your mother,

put your cap on straight,

walk like a little gentleman.

And keep your mouth shut.

Hello, Cousin Willie,

what have you got there?

- Why are you turning that handle?

- Just making an experiment.

- How are you, Cousin Alfred?

- Oh, not so badly, thanks.

Hello, Bertie.

- Is that the new camera?

- Yes, that's it.

I thought you'd like to be the first

to see it, Cousin Alfred.

- Does it work?

- Oh, I don't know yet.

May want some more work on it.

More work?

That'll mean more money, I suppose.

Oh, well yes, possibly.

Now, what I really want to do

is to take some pictures of the parade.

- Will you bring this tripod along?

- I don't mind doing that.

Mind your fingers.

- Hello.

- Hello, chum.

Well, everything's quiet.

Nothing to report.

- Who won the skittles?

- Sergeant Prescott.

Oh.

What's that light up there?

I don't know. It's been on all evening.

Oh.

Well, I'll be gettin' along now.

- Now then, where are you off to?

- Come quickly, come on, come and see!

Now, just a minute, what is all this?

No, come and see! I've got something

to show you! Something I've done.

You must come and see!

- Something you've done?

- Yes, yes, come on, I'll show you.

It's only a little way.

You see,

I've only just this minute done it.

I was frightened, I don't mind telling you,

frightened out of me wits.

But I've done it! I've done it!

And though

I daresay it's very foolish of me,

I feel I've simply got to show someone!

And the joke is, Cousin Alfred

didn't even know what I was doing.

He just stared and said,

"Hello, Willie, what have you got there?"

And there he is, and you can see him,

almost as if he were alive!

Here we are now.

It's upstairs.

- Just a minute.

- Huh?

Are you, uh,

are you the owner of these premises?

No, no, I'm just one of the tenants.

I'm the one that makes the smells.

- Friese-Greene's my name.

- Oh, I see.

Is there anyone else on the premises?

Oh no, not at night, I'm all on my own.

Oh, I see.

You lead the way,

Mr. Friese-Greene, please.

It's not far up.

- Where is it?

- Where's what?

What you've done.

Oh, just sit down there, you'll see.

Now then, would you mind

turning out your lamp?

Good.

Now, watch that white sheet.

That was Hyde Park.

I recognized it.

Where's it come from?

And where's it gone to?

It's all here, here!

Look!

That's where the Hyde Park you saw is.

Like a magic lantern.

- But it moved.

- Yes, it moved, didn't it?

Now, look.

I've got a strip of celluloid film.

It's taken me years to get to that, years.

That's the secret.

Dozens of snapshots of Hyde Park.

Only, in one picture, the carriage is here,

the next it's here, the next it's here,

the next it's here, and so on.

Now look at the mechanism.

You see, the film, that's what it's called,

comes from this spool over these rollers,

that's the tension,

you've got to have tension

under this second spool down here.

Now look in the middle.

It's a bit like a magic lantern,

but instead of one picture at a time,

you see eight or more pictures

every second.

And that's what you see

on that sheet there,

eight pictures every second,

and they all merge together

into one moving, living picture, see?

Of course, there's a bit more to it

than that, that.

I'm not saying it's perfect, far from it.

But it works, God be praised,

it works, doesn't it?

You can see that.

You know,

it's a quite extraordinary feeling.

Something you've been wondering about

and dreaming about for 15 years.

And then, all of a sudden, it's there.

It's in your hands, with a life of its own.

You must be… a very happy man,

Mr. Friese-Greene.

Darling.

Darling?

It works.

Yes, it works.

A moving picture, on a sheet.

Old Alfred and his boy,

bless 'em, walking in Hyde Park.

Oh, my dear.

Of course, it's only a beginning,

but it does work, you do get movement.

And that's why all the people in the world

will want to see moving pictures.

Because movement is life.

Listen to me talking.

All the people in the world,

why, at that rate, in a couple

of years' time, we'll be millionaires.

Millionaires!

Mr. Friese-Greene, this invention of yours

may be very ingenious,

but the fact remains

that you cannot pay your debts.

Don't you see? Everybody wanted

their money paid back at once.

They wouldn't give me time.

- Time?

- Yes.

Time to develop the camera commercially.

But these heavy expenditures went on

long after

you'd sold your rights to the patent.

I've already told you,

the work could not stop, I had to carry on.

I don't pretend to be a businessman.

All I know is that people will want

to see moving pictures.

Mr. Friese-Greene,

this is an accounting,

and we are concerned with facts,

not with your faith in a camera.

Now, how do you explain this?

Very well, madam,

if you make a decision

within the next 48 hours,

I'm sure our client will let you have

the house on those terms.

Thank you.

- May I keep the keys for the present?

- Yes, madam, by all means.

Thank you very much.

Madam!

Madam!

Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilson!

I think I ought to warn you now that your…

heart is in a very serious condition.

Tell me, doctor, what this means exactly.

Well, it means that there's very little

that medicine can do for you.

The cure is mainly in your own hands.

I see.

If you were my patient, you would go

straight from here to your bed

and you would stay there

for at least a year.

Your own doctor will advise you, of course.

Perhaps you will be kind enough

to give him this.

You see, I had an opportunity

of examining you during an attack.

This will be helpful to him.

No, wait a minute, please.

Mrs. Smith, will you please call

a four wheeler for this lady?

Hello, got a nice cup of tea for you.

Thank you, dear.

How did it go?

Not very well, but it's all over.

This house is to be sold on the 7th.

Has everything gone?

Yes, the studios, the house, everything.

Cheer up, my dear.

It's not as bad as all that, is it?

No.

Aren't you having any tea?

No, thank you.

There's a little whiskey left

on the shelf over there.

Yes, that's a good idea.

We're going to have to find

some rooms somewhere.

What about a place to work?

Well, dear, I'm bankrupt now, you see.

That means nobody will let me have

a place without cash in advance.

And I haven't any cash.

I'll just have to find somebody

to give me a job.

I could get a place, Willie.

How do you mean?

I am not bankrupt.

I have seen a house in Chelsea.

The ground floor would make a studio.

There are three rooms on top of the house

that we could sublet.

But Helena, the money.

Who's going to lend us money?

We've got the money.

I sold the jewelry you gave me and…

I had a little put by, too,

for a rainy day.

And now it's the rainy day, isn't it?

Oh, no.

No, darling.

You mustn't stop me.

I have made up my mind.

I thought it might be

the laboratory one day.

There's space.

All the space in the world.

No running water, though.

Yes, there is, the very thing.

I'll put a sink in there.

I'll put the shelves over there

and the cupboards

for the chemicals and the books.

We'll run a bench along there

and another bench here,

right down the middle.

And one day we'll put a lathe

on the bench over there.

And when these skylights are clean,

there'll be all the light in the world.

Willie.

I nearly forgot, I bought you a present.

You did what?

It's your birthday.

Oh, by Jove, so it is.

I saw it in the place

where I sold the jewelry.

A prism.

I remembered you saying

before this trouble started

that it was something you wanted.

A prism, darling!

Look.

Oh, there's no light now.

Never mind, I'll show you.

But dear, these things are expensive.

I spoke softly to the man.

It's a most wonderful present.

- Willie.

- Hmm?

Do you remember the night

of the choral society concert,

when you went to see Fox Talbot?

Will I ever forget?

I don't think they ever forgave me.

No, they didn't.

But I wasn't thinking of the concert.

It was something you told me much later.

I always remembered.

Something Fox Talbot said.

It was about inventors.

Oh, yes.

The inventor must never mind

seeming a little foolish

to his contemporaries, hmm?

- He must always look to his star.

- Mm-hmm.

And in the end he may still fail,

but this is unimportant,

if he is true to himself,

he will not be too unhappy or embittered,

even in failure,

and will still speak for what is good.

You won't forget that, Willie, will you?

Gentlemen, please!

Gentlemen, please!

Order, order! Gentlemen!

I, uh, I don't think that any

useful purpose can be served

by prolonging this meeting.

- Mr. Chairman...

- I therefore propose that...

Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, could I speak?

Let the old man speak,

give them time to simmer down.

Um, will you come up

to the platform, please?

I'm afraid you can't be heard there.

Gentlemen, I...

Just speak up a little louder,

will you, please?

Oh, yes. Gentlemen,

I am not a businessman, no.

Well, sit down, then.

You know, when this business

was a fairground sideshow,

I suppose you could only speak of it

in terms of pounds, shillings and pence.

Oh, sit down.

Only a few of us could see then

it would become

a sort of universal language.

And it has become that, you see.

And this universal language

that could say great things,

oh dear, it so often

babbles and drivels so foolishly.

It does, you know, I mean, that in time,

the world, well, it'll tire of it.

Rubbish!

If the film does not grow up

with its audience,

then it will die.

You know, it's only in the nursery

that children fight and destroy

the things in their hands.

The film is in your hands,

and you may not behave like children.

You must not destroy it!

Don't.

It's… it's very easy

to be good businessmen.

It's so difficult to grow up.

So difficult.

And so I ask you,

I ask you to work together.

All my life, gentlemen, I, I have tried.

There's so much to hope for.

So much, there is, I have tried.

You all right, sir?

Hmm?

Oh, oh, I'm perfectly all right.

Perfectly.

There's something

I wanted to say to my wife.

Something I wanted to… say to my wife.

I…

Gentlemen, in view of that appeal,

I think we might make some endeavor

to adjust our differences

and seek a solution of the problems.

Can I get you a glass of water, sir?

I'm perfectly all right.

After all, each of us

seeks the same end, a prosperous industry.

- I would urge you men to…

- The children were asking…

…to put aside your suspicions.

But you did invent

the moving pictures, didn't you, father?

You are an experimenter,

somebody who tries out new things.

All you need is just a little courage.

Squad present boots.

They'll send them back, won't they?

They must send them back

when they know they're underage.

You are a child, a stupid, clumsy child.

Face the truth, Willie!

But the encyclopedia,

you said it didn't even mention your name.

You must be a very happy man,

Mr. Friese-Greene.

Afraid he's dead.

Poor old chap.

We must notify the police right away.

What about his family?

Does anybody know where he lives?

No, I'll try and find out.

Let me see. There must be

some means of identification.

Will you take that, please?

Here we are.

Mr. W. Friese-Greene.

Hear, hear, hear, hear.

Pawn ticket for some cuff links.

A prism.

One and ten pence.

Just the price of a seat at the pictures.