Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is currently unavailable
Magician's Wife Makes the Christmas Cake
There's magical mayhem in the kitchen when the magician's wife makes use of a most unusual cooking utensil - her husband's magic wand.
From the collection of:
Overview
In her 'austerity' kitchen the magician's wife decides to make a cake. When things start to go wrong she finds the ultimate kitchen helper - her husband's wand. She can now un-smash broken eggs, put split milk back into the bottle and turn a matchbox into a mousetrap. She even turns a cremated cake into a chocolate triumph, impressing a friend in the process. A gramophone player becomes a cake-stand but things go awry when she isn't looking and the icing starts flying.
Ashford resident 'Sonny' Hanson was a keen and creative amateur film-maker who began his hobby in the 1930s. A member of the Ashford Film Society, 'Sonny' collaborated on a large number of mostly fictional productions. His experiments in special effects like stop-motion animation and reverse-action, as seen in this film, suggest that Sonny Hanson was a skilled and imaginative amateur film-maker who thoroughly enjoyed his hobby.
Related
Toys Will Be Toys Toys Will Be Toys
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1988 5 mins Location: South Shields
Barbie dolls in pink battle khaki killing machines in a Christmas animation that cocks a snook at the “Disney Doctrine”.
A Bronte Christmas A Bronte Christmas
Documentary 1980 14 mins Location: Haworth
Richard Whiteley joins children on the Worth Valley Railway Santa’s Special, while the Haworth Town Band sing On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.
Christmas in Belfast Christmas in Belfast
Government sponsored film 1977 2 mins Location: Belfast
Christmas in Belfast at the height of 'The Troubles'. Not the most wonderful time of year.
Christmas Play Christmas Play
1959 18 mins
Taking the lid off the creative process - of a group of theatrically-minded 11-year-olds as they stage the nativity.
A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol
Fantasy 1914 23 mins Silent
A well-acted early version of Charles Dickens' much loved Christmas story, featuring some impressive ghost sequences.
Wartime Cinema Christmas Greeting Wartime Cinema Christmas Greeting
Announcement 1940 1 mins
A thoughtful Christmas message in hope of peace from early in WWII - the absence of loved ones hit hardest at holiday times.
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.