King George the Fifth's Durbar Held to Proclaim Him Emperor of India

Patriotic dispatch from the grand celebrations to mark the start of George V's reign

"This great function," gushes the opening title card of this patriotic news item, "exceeded all such events known in history" in its "importance and magnificence". The celebrations marking George V's crowning as King-Emperor were undeniably spectacular, and unlike his predecessor, Edward VII, who sent his brother in his place in 1902, the monarch deigned to attend the proceedings. The Warwick Film Company's cameras capture the scale of the event, giving us views of the arrival of the Viceroy and the King and Queen's carriage, followed by images of the rituals and tributes. It ends with more conventional travelogue-style images of Delhi streets.

Warwick was one of several companies to film the 1912 Durbar for the edification of audiences back home and across the Empire.