8mm Forum: Ensign Film Library

This is topic Ensign Film Library in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on August 29, 2013, 07:43 AM:

Does anyone have any information on the Ensign Film Library, such as what period they were trading, and titles available. They were similar to the Kodascopes.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 29, 2013, 09:56 AM:

It's pretty certain that not one of us actually remembers this film library, nor the Kodascope library. They were mainly 16mm silent and they probably both went the same way, succumbed to the War, and 9.5mm silent films which were available cheaply for hire from almost any High Street chemist shop. The 9.5mm were also available to buy for one's own library.

Kodak sold off their library and no doubt lots of these amber tinted prints are still in collectors' ownership.

The earliest "documentation" that I have is a February 1938 copy of "Amateur Cine World", it does have an advert from Ensign but it's for screens and makes no mention of their film library.

I have Gerald McKee's "A Half Century of Film Collecting" and in a special article on Charley Chase & Paul Parrott films he quotes many titles from the mid-thirties which were available from Kodascope on 16mm, with a few on 8mm. He mentions one 16mm from Ensign "What Women Did For Me" (1927), a 2 reeler.

Gerald also says that Kodak issued for sale in the 30s, three Cine-Kodagraphs on 16mm 100ft and 8mm 50ft:- "Bargain Day", "Train Your Spooks", and "Choose Your Weapons".

He further says that the last two were duped and issued as Stockwell Cine Shorts in the late 40s.

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on August 29, 2013, 10:17 AM:

Thanks for that information, I found a few Ensignareels listed for sale that were 8mm, but have only come across 1 16mm, which I have, which I think is dated 1930. Regarding Kodascopes, there is a webpage devoted to these, and it mentioned Ensignareels; the author told me he had an Ensign Library catalogue, but never posted any details.
It appears the Kodascope Library in London closed in 1941.
http://www.pathescope.freeserve.co.uk/Kodscope.htm

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