Emmeline Pankhurst

Cinema a century ago was a new, exciting and highly democratic form of entertainment. Picture houses nationwide offered a sociable, lively environment in which to relax and escape from the daily grind. With feature films still rare, the programme was an entertaining, ever-changing roster of short items with live musical accompaniment. 100 years on, this special compilation from the BFI National Archive recreates the glorious miscellany of comedies, dramas, travelogues and newsreels which would have constituted a typical night out in 1914. Our selection includes a comic short about a face-pulling competition, a sensational episode of The Perils of Pauline, scenes of Allied troops celebrating Christmas at the Front, and an early sighting of one of cinema’s greatest icons.

From the late nineteenth century to 1928, those who were nicknamed the "suffragettes" made the United Kingdom move from the census vote to universal suffrage, completely redefining the notion of citizenship. This documentary follows the struggle of five of these women, who have dedicated their lives to this fierce struggle, some advocating civil disobedience or lobbying MPs and Lords, the others choosing violent action, braving prison, and even death.

The campaign for women's suffrage steps up as Emmeline Pankhurst is arrested at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The women's suffrage movement inspired this silent film classic that includes appearances by equal rights crusaders Emmeline Pankhurst and Harriet Stanton Blatch. As politicos work to deny women the right to vote, a young lawyer tells his activist girlfriend of the corruption within the government that actively seeks to ensure that her voice is never heard.

Nicole Védrès' chronicle of Paris from 1900 to 1914 is brought to life through the use of original material, all authentic, secured from more then 700 films belonging to public and private collections. A few of the celebrities of the time shown are Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, and Maurice Chevalier.