Backdrop image for movie Edwardian Insects on Film

Edwardian Insects on Film (2013)

In 1908, amateur naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith stunned early cinema goers with his footage of the juggling fly. Hailed as the father of Natural History film, Smith was a hugely influential visual pioneer, inventing many techniques that are still used today. Being both a genius and an eccentric, we follow his life from his earliest films, to the collapse of his house from his mould experiment to his ultimate suicide. We also meet Natural History icon Sir David Attenborough, who was so amazed by Smith’s films in the 1930s that they inspired him to get into natural history.

  • Documentary

Top billed cast

  • Photo of Charlie Hamilton JamesCharlie Hamilton JamesSelf - Presenter
  • Photo of David AttenboroughDavid AttenboroughSelf
  • Photo of Dr Tim BoonDr Tim BoonSelf - Science Museum, London
  • Photo of David ClevelandDavid ClevelandSelf - Film Archivist
  • Photo of Tim CockerillTim CockerillSelf - Entomologist
  • Photo of Bryony DixonBryony DixonSelf - Curator, Silent Film, BFI
  • Photo of Jenny HammertonJenny HammertonSelf - Film Archivist
  • Photo of Michael HarveyMichael HarveySelf - National Media Museum
  • Photo of Percy SmithPercy SmithSelf - archive footage
  • Photo of John WinderJohn WinderSelf - Scientist & Collector

Similar to Edwardian Insects on Film