Amber Films, 32 minutes, 1972/73

An unfinished film from 1972/73, documenting a performance by the last Punch & Judy professor on Blackpool Beach, made as part of Amber’s early exploration of working-class popular culture.

Filmed on the sands during the final season of the performer’s career, the project was never completed, but remains part of Amber’s archive. The decision to film was rooted in collective memories of childhood trips to Blackpool and a desire to capture a form of seaside entertainment on the edge of disappearance. Though unverified, it’s thought the performer was from Stoke-on-Trent, possibly linked to Amber co-founder Murray Martin.

The film may have been developed in parallel with Amber’s Lambton Visual Aids (Visual Culture) slides of Blackpool Illuminations, which similarly reflect on the intersection of visual spectacle, nostalgia and social experience. As a fragment, Punch & Judy stands as an evocative trace of Amber’s early interest in the cultural rituals that shape community memory.