Transmogrification

Two girls become 18th century ladies in this short film about the assumption of roles.

A short film about the assumption of roles. A voice-over offers a long list of synonyms for transformation: change, modulation, shift, turn, mutation… Two girls are transformed into 18th century young ladies by putting on dresses. A performer, Alexei Sayle, gets ready for and then goes into his routine. Made, like many of Anne Rees-Mogg’s films, in the Rees-Mogg family home in Somerset, Transmogrification features her nieces and nephews Charlotte, Emma, Thomas and Jacob.

Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.