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Edwardian Insects on Film

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19/03/2013

BBC Four - Edwardian Insects on Film

The story of Edwardian naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith.

Charlie Hamilton-James tries to recreate amateur naturalist Percy Smith's 1908 film The Acrobatic Fly, in which a bluebottle juggles a series of objects, and tells Smith's story.

In 1908, amateur naturalist Percy Smith stunned cinema goers with his surreal film The Acrobatic Fly. Featuring a bluebottle juggling a series of objects, the film became front page news. Now wildlife cameraman Charlie Hamilton-James attempts to recreate this fascinating film.

Along the way, Hamilton-James (helped by Sir David Attenborough, who saw Smith's films as a boy) tells the story of Percy's remarkable career and reveals the genius behind this forgotten pioneer of British film.

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