Buy Your Own Cherries
Film to promote temperance, showing the negative effects of alcohol.
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Description
A film showing the ill effects that alcohol can have on the individual and their family in an effort to promote temperance. The film opens on a bar scene. Two men are shown drinking. The first is a well dressed man who pays for his drinks and buys some cherries. The second is a dishevelled man who attempts to steal the cherries and is chased off by the barmaid. Returning home we find his wife struggling to make tea as his children cower beneath the table. After arguing with his wife he slaps her before realising his children's fear and making his apologies. Shortly afterwards he is approached by a minister and encouraged to sign 'The Pledge' to abstain from alcohol and certified by The Independent Order of Good Templars, Grand Lodge of England. Following his pledge the man, now with a much smarter appearance, is shown declining to enter the bar and instead buying cherries. He returns home with the cherries and others gifts to a happier and more richly dressed family.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- Why is the man encouraged to eat cherries instead of drinking?
- What are cherries a symbol of?
- Why is the second episode called "The Curse of Drink"?
- What is the blackboard behind the bar and what does it suggest?
- "The Pledge" - Who do you think is approaching the man any why?
- What is unusual about the pledge certificate that he signs?
Activities
History / Victorians / Edwardians: Describe the different outfits worn by the men how does this reflect their class.
PSE: Look at the treatment of each man by the barmaid. Why do you think she treats them differently?
History / Standard Grade 1830s-1930s / Health and Wellbeing: Research the Temperance Movement. What impact did this have on working class families?
Moving Image Education / Media Studies / English: Put your own dialogue / music to this film or create a drama.
Health and Wellbeing: Research what it means to take the pledge today and what organisations assist in this process.
English: Compare lists of how the house looks and how the family behave before and after he has given up drinking.
Compare this film to the other Temperance film on this site.
PSE / Health and Wellbeing: Discuss whether people think differently about people who are addicted to drugs as opposed to those addicted to drink.
Health and Wellbeing / PSE: Discuss whether you think it would be a good idea if there was an anti-drug movement organized on the same basis as the Temperance Movement.
Health and Wellbeing / PSE: Research whether drink or drugs are more dangerous to the individual and society. Debate the issue
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-004-097-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | National Library of Scotland |
| Project Ref | 2581 |
| Date | 1904 |
| Genre | Promotional Film |
| School Subject | Social History, Health and Wellbeing, Physical Education, History, Moving Image Education |
| Who | Grand Lodge of England (sponsor), R. W. Paul (production company) |
| Attributes | Black and White, Silent |
| Clip Length | 4:57 |
| Film Length | 04:57 |