Wigan Mayoral Coronation Procession (1902)

The sun shines on the mayor's procession in Wigan to mark the coronation of Edward VII.

Some particularly deft camera positioning gives this film of Wigan's coronation procession an extra charge. The procession approaches the audience head-on - before turning off just in front of the camera. It's a striking effect, reminiscent of French film pioneers the Lumière Brothers who, so legend has it, had naïve audiences straining to get out of the way of an oncoming train.