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Mechanical Maids

1920 , Norwich (Norfolk)

Cat no. 101

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Eve Askquith proves that women are just as capable as men when it comes to motor cycle racing.

The early scenes in the film are shot in an empty stadium, suggesting that these scenes had been specially staged for the film. The woman motor cyclist who is the subject of the film, Miss Eva Askquith, is seen in leathers putting on her helmet. She makes mechanical adjustments to her motor cycle and can be seen mounting her bike. There are some men in the background, one of who appears to be wearing some sort of medal around his neck. Eva races around the track and there follows a slow motion sequence. The next scene shows Eva with her dog and a bunch of flowers. There is a shot of the stadium and the crowd. A car pulls a rake over the track; a man is raking manually. Mechanics make adjustments to their motor cycles. A man is depicted getting into his leathers and putting on his helmet, before another shot of Eva Askquith getting ready for the race. The rides are shown on the start line and then there follow shots of the race. Incomplete: the film doesn't show the finish.

Keywords

Motorcycles; Motorbike racing; Women

Intertitles

This is an age of mechanical proficiency for the fair sex - Eve today doesn't mind sidestepping the milliner for robot like creations like this. The average girl's acquaintance with a motor cycle rarely exceeded the pillon seat - now she wants the whole machine.Forty-five miles an hour whilst the going is good. Slowing down the picture 8 times makes one 8 times more determined not to try this tricky track racing. Then there's the air - here's a lady who has just broken the world's women's height record. Mechanical maids they may be - but not when the job's over. Preparing the track, and tightening the spring barriers before a race. It's essentially a man's sport - that's why women are going for it. Miss Eva Askquith. The Start. Cries of 'They're off' answer for both the start and the finish. Sportsmanship is the ideal of the tyred age.

Background Information

This film came to the Archive with some other films of Norwich. Therefore, we assumed that it was shot at the Firs Stadium on Cromer Road, Norwich. However, many people have informed the Archive otherwise and we have some information that it was filmed on one of the Northern circuits. Eve and Everybody's Film Review was a silent cine magazine aimed at women. Made by Pathe it ran from 1921 - 1933. The producers of these cine magazines usually sought out unusual occurrences about which to film. (See D. Cleveland, East Anglia On Film, Poppyland Publishing, 1987.)

Manifestations

Mechanical Maids

  • Barcode
    INV365752
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:17:18
    Modification Date
    22/03/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    751884
  • Barcode
    INV369840
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:17:18
    Modification Date
    22/03/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    751883
  • Barcode
    INV340420
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:17:18
    Modification Date
    22/03/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    751882
  • Barcode
    INV358951
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:11:04
    Modification Date
    10/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    710948
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV288879
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    master digital
    Colour Type
    bw
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:11:04
    Has Sound
    N
    Modification Date
    14/08/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    675966
    Sound
    silent
  • Barcode
    INV268958
    Canonical Identifier
    VP-202
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Duration
    0:06:00
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    562840
  • Barcode
    INV??1347
    Canonical Identifier
    B-446
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour Type
    bw
    Has Sound
    N
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    negative
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    562192
    Sound
    silent
  • Barcode
    INV??1346
    Canonical Identifier
    B-334
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour Type
    bw
    Has Sound
    N
    Identification Notes
    Neg / Pos Type (data migration 25/06/2021): dupe
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    negative
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    562191
    Sound
    silent
  • Barcode
    INV288544
    Canonical Identifier
    A-1691
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour Type
    bw
    Has Sound
    N
    Identification Notes
    Neg / Pos Type (data migration 25/06/2021): dupe
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    negative
    Modification Date
    25/06/2021
    Parts
    Reference
    560699
    Sound
    silent
  • Sequence Details:
    • Group 1:
      • Part Number: 470
      • Parts Unit: Series

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