Biography
Sagar Jones Mitchell (28 October 1866 – 2 October 1952) was a pioneer of cinematography in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.
The son of John and Eliza Mitchell, he was educated at a private academy and apprenticed as a cabinet maker. In 1887 Sagar and his father John founded the firm of S. & J. Mitchell, a photographic apparatus manufacturing and dealing business.
Although associated in partnership with James Kenyon since 1897 little is known of their film production until 1899. The success of their early films encouraged Mitchell to give up his shop and in September 1901 Mitchell and Kenyon moved into premises in Clayton Street, Blackburn, to concentrate on film production. Mitchell and Kenyon used the trade name of Norden, the company became one of the largest film producers in the United Kingdom in the 1900s, producing a mixture of "topicals" (films of street scenes, sporting events, rides through towns on the top of trams, and ordinary life, which were extremely popular as people loved to see moving pictures of themselves), fiction, and fake war films. Many of these films were produced for travelling showmen.
In May 1907 Sagar Mitchell resumed possession of his original business S. & J. Mitchell, at 40 Northgate, Blackburn. The volume of film production seems to have tailed off from this date, and from 1909 was increasingly restricted to local events. The last surviving film dates from 1913. Mitchell was joined in his business by his son John in 1921. His partnership with Kenyon was formally dissolved around 1922 and Kenyon died in 1925. Mitchell carefully stored the film negatives away in the basement of his shop. He lived to the age of 85, and died on 2 October 1952. John continued to run the business until he retired in 1960.
Over the years film historians had traditionally regarded Mitchell and Kenyon as minor contributors to film history, known principally for the fake Boer War films that had survived. Then in 1994, during building alteration work at the premises in Northgate, three large sealed steel drums were discovered in the basement. On examination, the drums were discovered to contain the original nitrate negatives of 800 Mitchell and Kenyon films in a remarkably good state of preservation. These eventually found their way in 2000 to the National Film and Television Archive, where they extended the holdings of films of the 1900-1913 period by 20%, giving a new and fresh view of Edwardian England and an important resource for historians. A further 65 fiction films are preserved in The Cinema Museum, London. The survival of these films has allowed Mitchell and Kenyon's place in English film history to be reappraised.
In 2014 The Life and Times of Mitchell and Kenyon was produced at The Dukes, Lancaster and the Oldham Coliseum, with video elements by imitating the dog.For more information on their film work and on the rediscovery of the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection see Mitchell and Kenyon.
Filmography
all 113
Movies 113
Producer 107
Director 6
Britain on Film: Black Britain (2017)
Electric Edwardians - The Films Of Mitchell And Kenyon (2005)
Sunderland v Leicester Fosse (1907)
Whitsuntide Fair at Preston (1906)
Wales v. Ireland at Wrexham (1906)
Halifax Catholic Procession (1905)
England v. Ireland at Manchester (1905)
Special March Past of St. Joseph's Scholars and Special Parade of St. Matthew's Pupils, Blackburn (1905)
Preston North End v Aston Villa (1905)
Opening of the Drill Hall in Accrington by General Baden-Powell (1904)
Trotting Match at Springfield Park, Wigan (1904)
Audley Range School, Blackburn (1904)
Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa (1904)
Blackpool Victoria Pier (1904)
Bolton v Burton United (1904)
Preston North End v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1904)
Northern Union Challenge Cup Final: Halifax v. Salford (1903)
Manchester to Blackpool Road Race (1903)
Bradford City v Gainsborough Trinity (1903)
Diving Lucy (1903)
The Great Local Derby: Accrington v Church Cricket Match (1902)
Burnley v Manchester United (1902)
Living Wigan (1902)
Kingston Rowing Club at Practice (1902)
Bradford Coronation Procession (1902)
Lieutenant Clive Wilson and the Tranby Croft Party Hull (1902)
Notts County v. Middlesbrough (1902)
Hull Kingston Rovers v Wigan (1902)
Leeds Athletic and Cycling Club Carnival (1902)
Sheffield United v Bury (1902)
Lady Godiva Procession in Coventry (1902)
Everton v Liverpool (1902)
Sports Day at Queen's College Ground, Cork (1902)
Congregation Leaving Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier, Dublin (1902)
Ambush II at Eyrefield Lodge, Curragh (1902)
Albert Quay in Cork (1902)
Panorama of College Green, Dublin (1902)
Day School Sports at Park Avenue, Bradford (1902)
Champion Athletes at Birmingham (1902)
Wexford Railway Station (1902)
Tram Ride from King Street to Patrick's Bridge, Cork (1902)
Ride from Blarney to Cork on Cork and Muskerry Light Railway (1902)
Regiments Returned from Boer War to Victoria Barracks, Cork (1902)
Lord Mayor of Cork Arriving for Official Opening of Cork Exhibition (1902)
Life in Wexford (1902)
Congregation Leaving St. Patrick's Church in Cork (1902)
Cattle Market in Derry (1902)
Panorama of Queenstown Harbour (1902)
Workers Leaving Lee Boot Factory — Dwyer & Co. Ltd., Cork (1902)
Trade Procession at Opening of Cork Exhibition (1902)
The Visit of the Duke of Connaught C-I-C Forces in Ireland and Prince Henry of Prussia to Cork Exhibition (1902)
Preparation of the Cork Exhibition Grounds and Erection of Buildings (1902)
Panorama of Cork Exhibition Grounds (1902)
Cork Fire Brigade Turning Out (1902)
Rotherham Town v Thornhill (1902)
Views of the Grand Parade, Cork (1902)
Two-Oared Boat Race, Sundays Well, Cork (1902)
Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta Between Leander and Berlin (1902)
Crews Practicing on River Lee at Cork Regatta (1902)
Congregation Leaving St. Mary's Dominican Church in Cork (1902)
Arrival of VIPs for Official Opening of Cork Exhibition (1902)
Wexford Bull Ring (1902)
Comic Pictures in High Street, West Bromwich (1902)
Electric Tram Rides from Forster Square, Bradford (1902)
Tram Ride Into Halifax (1902)
Dewsbury v Manningham (1902)
Hull Fair (1902)
Hull FC v. Hull Kingston Rovers (1902)
Laborers in Victorian England (1901)
Jamaica Street, Glasgow (1901)
Royal Proclamation of the Death of Queen Victoria, Blackburn (1901)
A Sneaky Boer (1901)
Race for the Muratti Cup at Manchester Wheelers’ Annual Race Meet (1901)
AAA Championships at Fartown, Huddersfield (1901)
University Procession on Degree Day, Birmingham (1901)
Morecambe Church Lads' Brigade at Drill (1901)
Arthur Mold Bowling to A.N. Hornby (1901)
Congregation Leaving St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin (1901)
Torpedo Flotilla Visit to Manchester (1901)
Race for the Muriatti Cup, Manchester (1901)
Lord Roberts' Visit to Manchester (1901)
Oldham v Swinton (1901)
Newcastle United v Liverpool (1901)
Tynemouth Swimming Gala in the Haven, North Shields (1901)
Salford v Batley (1901)
Manchester and Salford Harriers' Cyclists' Procession (1901)
Hunslet v Leeds (1901)
Manchester Wheelers' Annual Race Meet (1901)
North Sea Fisheries, North Shields (1901)
Alfred Butterworth and Sons, Glebe Mills, Hollinwood (1901)
Cunard Vessel at Liverpool (1901)
Manchester Street Scene (1901)
Ride on the Tram Car through Belfast (1901)
Parkgate Iron and Steel Co., Rotherham (1901)
Preston Egg Rolling (1901)
Manchester Band of Hope Procession (1901)
Halifax v Salford (1901)
Miners Leaving Pendlebury Colliery (1901)
Warrington v. St. Helens (1901)
S.S Saxonia in Liverpool (1901)
Cunard Mail Steamer Lucania Leaving for America (1901)
Mister Moon (1901)
Sedgwick's Bioscope Show Front (1901)
Panoramic View of the Morecambe Sea Front (1901)
Liverpool Street Scenes (1901)
The Snowman (1901)
Beheading a Chinese Boxer (1900)
The Dispatch Bearer (1900)
Attack on a Mission Station (1900)
Messrs Lumb and Co Leaving the Works, Huddersfield (1900)
Shelling the Red Cross (1900)
20,000 Employees Entering Lord Armstrong's Elswick Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1900)
Kidnapping by Indians (1899)
Ratings
Information
Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Birthday1866-10-28
Deathday1952-10-02 (85 years old)
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
- Sagar Mitchell
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