Metadata
WORK ID: NEFA 22326 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| REDCAR JULY 4 '76 | 1976 | 1976-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: Super 8 Colour: Colour Sound: Silent Duration: 3 mins 40 secs Credits: Chris Anderson Genre: Home Movie Subject: Seaside Family Life |
| Summary A home movie by Chris Anderson of a family day trip to the beach at Redcar during the summer of 1976. |
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Description
A home movie by Chris Anderson of a family day trip to the beach at Redcar during the summer of 1976.
The film opens with scenes of day trippers having arrived by coach at the beach at Redcar.
On the beach two small children play in the sand, a young woman looks at the camera. An older woman smoking a cigarette speaks to the person behind the camera. She and a young man relax in deckchairs. A young couple play fight in the sand and the older woman burries the legs of a toddler in the sand,...
A home movie by Chris Anderson of a family day trip to the beach at Redcar during the summer of 1976.
The film opens with scenes of day trippers having arrived by coach at the beach at Redcar.
On the beach two small children play in the sand, a young woman looks at the camera. An older woman smoking a cigarette speaks to the person behind the camera. She and a young man relax in deckchairs. A young couple play fight in the sand and the older woman burries the legs of a toddler in the sand, smiling happily.
View from the beach of the promenade, shuggy boat swings on the beach and Redcar Council beach centre in the near distance.
Two older women join the family group, the younger woman again speaking to the filmmaker. One of the older women smiles at the camera and waves.
The young couple again play fight in the sand, behind them a number of beachgoers in deckchairs behind either windbreaks or beach tents. One of the older women watches over the toddler as she drinks from a bottle. One woman with a cigarette sits with another toddler in a deckchair. The young man plays in the sand with two children, one hanging from his neck.
The young woman walks through the surf holding the hands of three young children. The other family members come over and paddle and splash together in the sea water. General view from the sea edge of the beach and promenade. A kite flies through the sky. The young woman writes ‘The End’ in the sand.
The film ends with a close-up of a toddler walked on the beach.
Context
How we holiday has changed radically over the last 45 years. The right to holiday leave became a legal right for workers in 1939, and by 1975 most workers had two weeks or more paid holiday. Before 1970 our holiday of choice was still the great British seaside, however, the arrival of low-cost holiday packages in the 1970s changed all that when we fell in love with Spain and exotic flights to the all-inclusive sun-guaranteed beaches. But in the summer of 1976 the weather in Britain was also...
How we holiday has changed radically over the last 45 years. The right to holiday leave became a legal right for workers in 1939, and by 1975 most workers had two weeks or more paid holiday. Before 1970 our holiday of choice was still the great British seaside, however, the arrival of low-cost holiday packages in the 1970s changed all that when we fell in love with Spain and exotic flights to the all-inclusive sun-guaranteed beaches. But in the summer of 1976 the weather in Britain was also continuously hot and dry, it was the driest summer since 1772. and although that meant water supplies reached critical low levels, why not take a bus trip to a local beach? And Redcar had all the family attractions you could want.
The film opens with scenes of day trippers having arrived by coach at the beach at Redcar. Again, although coach trips still operate, I think most people would fill the boot of their car with buckets and spades, picnics, blankets and windbreaks, all the necessary paraphernalia for a family day out. In 1976 you might also take a still camera or your Super 8 home movie camera. Launched in 1965 by Eastman Kodak at the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York, this was a popular camera with enough film for around 3 minutes of continuous filming. In the mid-70s the system was upgraded with larger cartridges, which included film with magnetic sound. Today of course we just slip our mobile phones into our pockets. That the sun shining was possibly a relief as the 1970s was a decade of strikes for postal workers, miners and dustmen, and even bakers. It ended with the 'winter of discontent' in 1979 when ITV went off the air for five months. 1972 saw a miners strike beginning on 9 January 1972 and ended on 28 February 1972. In 1974 we saw the three-day week and mass use of candles for lighting our homes. The 16-week dispute, which brought coal production to a complete standstill, finally ended just 48 hours after Edward Heath's Conservative party was voted out of power. The miners did not call a national strike again until March 1984 which lasted a year and was probably the most damaging in the country’s industrial history. Amidst all the industrial disputes there were also other changes. In 1971 Britain went decimal, most families now had a TV, albeit with only three stations, yet in colour, and in 1977, the nation embraced the Queen's Silver Jubilee with street parties. Taking a ‘staycation’ has again become more popular in today’s environmental conscious population, yet many of us still head for the sun and sand of sunnier climes and of course are more likely booking on our phones and PCs, whether it be the city break, annual ski trip, cruise or family villa. Luckily Redcar still remains one of our quintessential British seaside resorts. References: Key Stage 3 History: Technology, War and Independence 1901-Present Day Student Book, Aaron Wilkes (OUP Oxford, 2015) |
