All Inside the Archive articles

News

Inside the Archive #56: Celebrating film and connection with Youth Beyond Borders and BFI Replay

This week, discover a collaboration with Youth Beyond Borders and learn more about a BFI Replay workshop.

By Milo Holmes, Ana Levisky and others

Inside the Archive #56: Celebrating film and connection with Youth Beyond Borders and BFI Replay

Object of the week

Object of the week: Original budget breakdown for Black Narcissus – who got paid what

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: Original budget breakdown for Black Narcissus – who got paid what

Object of the week

Object of the week: Lotte Reiniger’s cut-out figures and backgrounds for Cinderella

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: Lotte Reiniger’s cut-out figures and backgrounds for Cinderella

Object of the week

Object of the week: Mid-century Christmas card designs by Ealing Studios

By Kay Eldridge

Object of the week: Mid-century Christmas card designs by Ealing Studios

Railway 200

Railway 200: In praise of TV’s most famous locomotive

By Elinor Groom

Railway 200: In praise of TV’s most famous locomotive

News

Inside the Archive #55: A film workshop in India and 1,500 film cans for the BFI National Archive

By Dylan Cave and Katy Donnelly

Inside the Archive #55: A film workshop in India and 1,500 film cans for the BFI National Archive

Rarities of British cinema

Peggy Cummins and her glitzy family melodrama My Daughter Joy

By Josephine Botting

Peggy Cummins and her glitzy family melodrama My Daughter Joy

News

Inside the Archive #54: British stunt performers and a trip to Rome

By Ella Ferguson, Eleanor Watkins and others

Inside the Archive #54: British stunt performers and a trip to Rome

Object of the week

Object of the week: Cecil Beaton’s costume design for Vivien Leigh as Anna Karenina

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: Cecil Beaton’s costume design for Vivien Leigh as Anna Karenina

News

Inside the Archive #53: Remembering Ian Betts

By Kieron Webb

Inside the Archive #53: Remembering Ian Betts

Object of the week

Object of the week: Dirk Bogarde’s annotated script for classic blackmail drama Victim

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: Dirk Bogarde’s annotated script for classic blackmail drama Victim

Rarities of British cinema

The White Unicorn: a “tale of babies, boudoirs, lingerie, misunderstanding husbands”

By Josephine Botting

The White Unicorn: a “tale of babies, boudoirs, lingerie, misunderstanding husbands”

News

Inside the Archive #52: BFI Replay in Leicester libraries and a copyright conference

By Francesca Worricker and Annabelle Shaw

Inside the Archive #52: BFI Replay in Leicester libraries and a copyright conference

Object of the week

Object of the week: Production design for The L-Shaped Room

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: Production design for The L-Shaped Room

News

Inside the Archive #51: Graveyard Shift and Frankenstein day in Derby

By Molly Petter, Iris Mathieson and others

Inside the Archive #51: Graveyard Shift and Frankenstein day in Derby

Object of the week

Object of the week: A hand-painted still for Michael Powell’s Hebridean romance The Edge of the World

By Alex Prideaux

Object of the week: A hand-painted still for Michael Powell’s Hebridean romance The Edge of the World

News

Inside the Archive #50: World Digital Preservation Day 2025 part two

By Iris Mathieson and Joanna White

Inside the Archive #50: World Digital Preservation Day 2025 part two

Object of the week

Object of the week: The oldest film in our archive

By Bryony Dixon

Object of the week: The oldest film in our archive

News

Inside the Archive #49: World Digital Preservation Day 2025 part one

By Stephen McConnachie

Inside the Archive #49: World Digital Preservation Day 2025 part one

Railway 200

Train cels: how British animators have captured the enduring appeal of railway travel

By Jez Stewart

Train cels: how British animators have captured the enduring appeal of railway travel

Object of the week

Object of the week: The Polish poster for Sidney Poitier drama To Sir, with Love

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: The Polish poster for Sidney Poitier drama To Sir, with Love

News

Inside the Archive #48: Interactive displays and study days

By Molly Petter, Francesca Worricker and others

Inside the Archive #48: Interactive displays and study days

Object of the week

Object of the week: The toy theatre and cut-out characters created for Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: The toy theatre and cut-out characters created for Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet

Rarities of British cinema

Son of a Stranger: a forgotten British B-movie from the industrious Danziger brothers

By Josephine Botting

Son of a Stranger: a forgotten British B-movie from the industrious Danziger brothers

News

Inside the Archive #47: How can archives become more sustainable?

By Caitlin Connelly and Samir Lee

Inside the Archive #47: How can archives become more sustainable?

Object of the week

Object of the week: The milk churns that rewrote film history

By Rebecca Vick

Object of the week: The milk churns that rewrote film history

News

Inside the Archive #46: Networking on the continent and interviewing James Mackay

By Grace Johnston and Alex Prideaux

Inside the Archive #46: Networking on the continent and interviewing James Mackay

Object of the week

Object of the week: What’s a Kalamazoo?

By Jez Stewart

Object of the week: What’s a Kalamazoo?

Object of the week

The letter that made Audrey Hepburn a star

By Nathalie Morris

The letter that made Audrey Hepburn a star

News

Inside the Archive #45: Heritage Open Day reflections part 2

By Elena Nepoti, Eleanor Watkins and others

Inside the Archive #45: Heritage Open Day reflections part 2