London Film Museum – Exhibition Overview

British Movie History from Star Wars to Sherlock Holmes and More

Jan 8, 2010
Frances Spiegel

Rexy, Night at the Museum 2 - Ronald Spiegel, 2010

The LFM, one of London's newest museums, investigates how films are made, the people and processes involved in their production, as well as the history of British films.

This article follows, and up-dates, London Film Museum - History of British Movies. Speaking to Frances Spiegel, in June 2008, Jonathan Sands, Chief Executive of the London Film Museum (formerly Movieum of London), explained that “the exhibition is still very much a work in progress, continuously developing, with new items being purchased all the time." Frances made a return visit to the Museum to check out the latest developments.

London on Film – About the Exhibition

The exhibition explores all aspects of film making from the props, make-up people and set designers, to the people behind the cameras; from the special effects designers and lighting operators to the major stars, directors, and the studios they worked in.

Different Genres – Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror and More

The display examines the many different genres of film. Musicals, fantasy, comedy, science fiction, period drama, spy and horror films are explored through a fascinating collection of props, costumes, photographs, models, scripts and production notes from box office favourites, such as Gladiator, Superman, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, Batman.

Comedy is represented by Rexy, an animated replica Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton which featured in the film Night at the Museum 2. A roaring, gyrating Rexy greets visitors as they enter the museum. Science fiction is represented by props, such as the TARDIS from Dr. Who, and a replica set from Star Wars plus costumes featured in the films: meet Wampa the ice creature, and a six-foot tall Stormtrooper. Drama is represented through a replica Sherlock Holmes set featuring some of Sherlock Holme’s ‘personal articles’ such as his violin, hat, and pipe.

Alfred Hitchcock and Other Iconic Figures of the Movie World

The exhibition explores the lives and careers of iconic personalities of the British film industry such as Alfred Hitchcock, Tony and Ridley Scott, Sir Alan Parker, Ken Russell, Richard Attenborough, David Lean, American-born Stanley Kubrick,and many others.

Terry English – Master Armourer to the Film World

The exhibition features several examples of armoured costumes designed by Terry English, acknowledged as the world’s finest armourer. With more than forty years’ experience in the film industry, English has created armour for dozens of films including Gladiator, Batman & Robin, Joan of Arc, Alien 3, Highlander II, and The Lion in Winter.

A Tribute to Charlie Chaplin

The climax of the exhibition is a permanent display devoted to Charlie Chaplin. It explores his childhood in London’s Victorian slums, his success in the music halls, his long and controversial career in films, and his final years in Switzerland. Charlie Chaplin – the Great Londoner describes the installation in greater detail.

Further details about the exhibition, together with an in-depth guide to film genres, and the people involved in film production, can be obtain from the London Film Museum.