Lord Asquith in Newcastle and Miss Elizabeth Asquith weds Prince Bibesco.
Lord Asquith arrives in Newcastle.
Liberal Party politician & former Prime Minister of Great Britain Herbert Henry Asquith on visit to Newcastle. That is supposedly the subject of the story; but actually seems to be 3 different things. First; some unidentified event where a cardinal or other high ranking Roman Catholic church official is shaking hand w/ people leaving a house; looks like room inside decorated for party. Possibly Ireland? Old fashioned clothing. Automobile stops; French officer; then General Joffre get out; French soldier holding door. Location unknown. France during World War One? Next; different location; city street; w/ horse-drawn carriage; lady gets out; then A. who tips driver. Train station; people on platform w/ train stopped in BG. Same; w/ Asquith waving toward camera. A & others walk toward camera. Awards ceremony of some sort: Asquith giving out silver cups to 3 men; 2 wear working-class type clothing; 3rd man in aviator gear. Honors.
At 01:42:53 titles read: 'London. Miss Asquith - A Princess. Exclusive pictures of Prince & Princess Antoine Bibesco.'
Miss Elizabeth Asquith; daughter of former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith; weds Rumanian diplomat & author / playwright Prince Antoine Bibesco; London; 1919. (She too was a writer & later had several novels published.) Opens w/ CU Asquith (? seen from behind) gets out of carriage. He stands w/ arm out expecting his daughter to take it but she walks right by. Dad follows her. Next; shot of bride & groom climbing into car; masses of paparazzi in BG - good shot actually; w/ photographers framed in the window of the car's open door. Back in time a few mins to shot of wedding party posing after ceremony. 2 attractive bridesmaids holding large bouquets; wearing sort of shepherdess head-dresses. Pan left to the tall; dark & handsome groom; the bride looking more uptight than happy; holding flowers up by her shoulder; glimpse of maid of honour. CU Bride & groom; she speaks; deadpan expression; not a smile. He looks sophisticated & cool. Marriage; ceremonies; nobility; politicians.
pauldarby says
Here is an ironic fact about this fragment of film from the wedding of Prince Antoine Bibesco and Elizabeth Asquith. There had been a bidding war between Pathé and the Scottish (British) Moving Picture News company for the rights to film the "wedding of the century". When SMP won the rights to film the wedding, held at St Margaret's Westminster, (with the Queen, Bernard Shaw and a pantheon of the great of England in attendance). Pathé was left with the dregs - a few seconds of the arrival of the bride's family and a few seconds of their exit from the church. The irony? - The complete wedding film, apparently the first to be made since the change of name from "Scottish" to "British", was later scrapped for its silver content and not longer exists. We are left with just these few seconds from "the loser".
trizzlay says
The man giving out the silver cups is not Asquith, it is Edward Carson, the barrister who famously cross examined Oscar Wilde and leader of the Ulster Unionists in the 1910s. On his left is James Craig, another Ulster Unionist leader and later Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
Carson and Craig were the two main protagonists of the Ulster/Home Rule crisis of 1912-14 which saw the signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912, and the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in 1913. As the two of them are standing together, I imagine that the award ceremony is for Ulstermen, perhaps in the UVF.