The “village film” of 1958, which survived on one lone VHS tape, makes it to DVD (duration 48 minutes) to the delight of all who know Bassingham and the interest of everyone else. The work of Jim Donnelly and Ken Franklin, who filmed village life the year round, is finally preserved.
Producer Andrew Blow improved the original shot by shot utilising the digital editing techniques of today. The film is now narrated and set to music for the first time.
Local cine enthusiasts Jim, a vet, and Ken, an electrician, filmed scores of fellow villagers and many activities. They went everywhere from the school sports to the summer floods, from the bowls team to the Blankney Hunt meet.
They went into the fields to see harvesting with the tractors and combines of the day, to Norton Disney (for Mrs Pacey's house warming) and Thurlby (for a Conservative fete attended by Joe Godber, local MP and Government minister).
They recorded four precious reels of 8mm colour. The reels have been lost for years – but fortunately three were transferred to a VHS tape by Bassingham Parish Council in the 1980s.
Blow by Blow's restoration work was assisted by a grant from the Bassingham Heritage and Community Association. PRICE INCLUDES P & P.