London, 1927 – See the past come to life in vivid colour video

I recently had the rare privilege of seeing black and white footage of my late father as a child. It was moving beyond words – but part of the experience felt a little sad. Something about it just didn’t quite feel “real”. It felt like a movie, rather than a document of the same reality I inhabited.

It was only later that I was able to put that strange feeling into words: when your view is limited to black and white, there will always be a certain part of the past – a certain living, breathing reality – that feels abstract and off-limits.

This is why the following video is so remarkable. It’s one of the very, very rare times colour filming techniques were used in the 1920s. And what an amazing difference it makes: suddenly, the past seems living. Breathing. Real. It’s a glimpse into our parents’ era as it truly was back then.

How do you feel watching this footage? Does it feel strange to see the past so vividly? And what piece of old footage do you treasure the most?