Sir Laurence ends his narration of this official record of the Coronation with the stirring admonition "May the Queen live forever!!". She didn't of course, but had a jolly good try, and Channel 4 have thoughtfully shown the official record without ad breaks immediately after today's two minute silence.
There had already been a film of George VI's coronation in Dufaycolor in 1937 but 1953 proved a particularly fortuitous moment as it coincided with the final flourish of glorious Technicolor. The process's limitations denied the makers modern luxuries like zooms, so the whole spectacle for the most part looks like the viewer is up in the Gods, but it has the advantage of making tangible the size of the spectacle.
Similarly fortuitous was that it rained that day, which mayn't have been much fun for the participants and spectators but that and the constantly changing light provides visual interest (likewise the unfortunate placement of the camera at a point in the parade when the troops marching down the Mall constantly had to skirt a jutting kerb).
There had already been a film of George VI's coronation in Dufaycolor in 1937 but 1953 proved a particularly fortuitous moment as it coincided with the final flourish of glorious Technicolor. The process's limitations denied the makers modern luxuries like zooms, so the whole spectacle for the most part looks like the viewer is up in the Gods, but it has the advantage of making tangible the size of the spectacle.
Similarly fortuitous was that it rained that day, which mayn't have been much fun for the participants and spectators but that and the constantly changing light provides visual interest (likewise the unfortunate placement of the camera at a point in the parade when the troops marching down the Mall constantly had to skirt a jutting kerb).