Object of the week: 97-year-old footage of a Man Utd vs Man City clash
This 1920s newsreel footage captures the action on the pitch at Old Trafford nearly 100 years ago, even if the heavy camera and expense of film stock made it impossible to show all of the goals.
This hotly contested local derby between Manchester United and Manchester City was filmed nearly a century ago for the newsreel Topical Budget. The action on the pitch at Old Trafford may be a little tricky to follow at times but the energy and enthusiasm of the players and crowd are always clearly visible.
There’s a lot of activity packed into a film less than a minute long and no sign of any dubious dives or disputes with the referee, who is formally attired in shirt and jacket (and shorts). It’s striking that everyone in the stands is wearing a cap or hat – which are also handy items to wave wildly to show appreciation when a goal is scored. There are more women spectators than might be expected, and they can be spotted leaning over to see the players emerge from the tunnel – celebrity spotting perhaps.
Topical Budget was a silent newsreel which ran from 1911 to 1931. It was a rival to the better known (nowadays) Pathe Gazette and Gaumont Graphic, until it eventually wound down with the arrival of the sound era. The BFI National Archive holds hundreds of editions, many of which are available to view on BFI Player.
Topical Budget was shown in cinemas across the country and included both national and local news stories. Perhaps surprisingly, given the global reach of football today, this story was included only in the Lancashire issue of the newsreel, released on 7 October 1929.
Though the match took place on 5 October, it would be two days later before those not in the crowd could see the action, as the newsreel was released twice a week. Given the expense of film stock and the heftiness of the camera and tripod, it wasn’t feasible to cover the entire match and in all football films of the era it was a hit and miss affair whether the goals would be caught on camera. On this occasion the prospects were boosted by the scoring of four goals, and fortunately one of them is captured.
Sadly for home fans, United lost 1-3.
Produced with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.