A MILESTONE in movie-making history has been recreated 110 years after it was originally filmed by a Holmfirth firm.
The Kiss In The Tunnel, created in 1889, was the first edited film in the world.
Now the classic piece of cinema, originally shot by Bamforth and Co, is being used to inspire modern film-makers.
The 60-second flickering black and white image depicts an aristocratic couple sharing a lingering embrace while their train rumbles through a tunnel.
A scene from the silent film was recreated at the Ingrow Railway Centre on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway – where the original film was made – to set the cameras rolling on a nationwide competition.
Tourist chiefs in Yorkshire are inviting people to make a 60-second clip by mobile phone or camcorder capturing their favourite places in the county.
The winners will receive prizes and their movies will feature in a Hollywood-style premiere.
Footage of the entries will also be used on the new pennineyorkshire.com
website – which aims to promote tourist attractions in the Pennine area covering Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield, Leeds and Bradford.
For the remake of the Bamforth film, the roles of the two young lovers were played by 18-year-old Gina Metcalfe and Lee Watson, 17. Both are performing arts students at Thomas Danby College in Leeds.
Bamforth and Co were known as a leading producer of magic lantern slides before turning to moving pictures. However, the company later abandoned the movies to focus on producing picture and comic postcards.
The Kiss in the Tunnel was shot in three scenes – the first showing a steam train heading for a tunnel; the second showing the passionate embrace inside the carriage; and the third showing the train approaching a station.
Tony Dixon, of Screen Yorkshire, said: “The Kiss in the Tunnel – albeit only a minute long – is an extremely significant part of film history.
“It’s amazing to think that one of Yorkshire’s sons was responsible for film-making techniques that Hollywood has emulated.”
Screen Yorkshire is the organisation supporting Yorkshire’s film and television makers.
Liz Tattersley, manager at West Yorkshire Tourism Partnership, responsible for the Pennine Yorkshire initiative, said: “The Bamforths – along with the Brontë sisters – are synonymous with the region and represent some of the finest cultural and literary case studies, not just here but across the globe.
“The Kiss in the Tunnel is celebrating its 110th birthday.
“As it is acclaimed as the first ever edited film – preceding anything produced in Hollywood – we thought it fitting to remember the Bamforths’ contribution to the film industry by asking visiting tourists to capture short clips of their favourite parts of the region.”
Said Liz: “Pennine Yorkshire has many attractions including open moorland, traditional market towns and a rich industrial heritage.
“So whether people want to showcase our finest landmarks or even recreate a scene from a Bamforth film or give us a recital from Jane Eyre, we are looking forward to watching what visitors to the region see as our finest attractions.”
Pennine Yorkshire is renowned for attractions including the World Heritage Site at Saltaire, Haworth and the Brontë sisters – and Holmfirth for its associations with Bamforth and TV’s Last of the Summer Wine.
To enter the competition, send your video clip as an mpeg/WMV file to film@pennineyorkshire.com; send an MMS to 07718 921807 or post a CD or DVD to Bamforth Film Competition, c/o Lucre, 30 Park Square West, Leeds, LS1 2PF.
The closing date for entries is Thursday, April 30. The winner will receive an expenses-paid weekend away in the Pennine Yorkshire region, as well as a top of the range camcorder and camera equipment.
