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Alive, Alive O!

1950 , Cambridge (Cambridgeshire)

Cat no. 355

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Practices at the 'modern school', St Faith's in Cambridge.

The film begins with the approach to the school along a tree lined road and the school buildings. After introductory shots showing the boys in the grounds and in a lesson, the main part of the film is divided into four sections. The first of these covers Character Building; in this case, leadership and religion. The school's prefect system is demonstrated. A prefect calls younger boys into the school and then breaks up a fight. The second part of this shows the boys in chapel. One boy offers the reading. They sing hymns. There is a close up shot on one boy who looks relatively enthusiastic. Then they pray. The second section is concerned with the Use of Leisure. There are scenes of the boys playing in the yard. The caption shows that this general idleness and enjoying oneself with ones' friends does not conform to St. Faith's ideals. Boys are shown painting, modelling, playing chess and listening to the gramophone. The number of hands and feet tapping suggests that they are not listening to classical music. Boys are shown looking after small animals, feeding kids from bottles and with guinea pigs. Finally in this sequence a boy is seen handling a grass snake. The third section is about Training The Body. Boys are doing P.T. exercises in the playground, playing tennis and cricket, swimming and finally there are scenes from the School Sports Day. A quite grand lady presents the prizes. The fourth and final section is entitled Personal Hygiene. This shows the boys washing, cleaning their teeth and bathing. A matron checks that all processes have been completed satisfactorily. The boys get into bed and the camera pans around the dormitory.

Featured Buildings

St. Faith's School

Keywords

Boarding school; Dormitory; Leisure; Prefects

Intertitles

How do you picture the modern school? Like this..... and try to endow the children with...... the ideals of a good, full and useful life. 1: Character Training. Prefectship. 1: Character Training. Religion. 2: The Use of Leisure. Yet leisure can be used more thoughtfully. 3: Training The Body. 4: Personal Hygiene.

Other Places

Cambridge; Alive. Alive, O! ;

Background Information

This is one of four films made about life at St. Faith's School. This was a preparatory School for the Leys School at Cambridge. The films were made by a master, Eric Gibbins.

Manifestations

Alive, Alive O!

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