Oss Oss Wee Oss (1953)

Padstow, a fishing village on the coast of Cornwall, celebrates May Day with an ancient custom: two osses (hobby-horses) dance through the town streets accompanied by drums and accordions. All Padstownians participate in the event, which has now become a tourist attraction drawing over tens of thousands of annual visitors. Folklorists Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy and filmmaker George Pickow collected footage at the festival in 1951, producing a pioneering work in the use of sound, low-light photography, and conversational presentation of narrative. A favorite of Margaret Mead, who used it in her classes, the film circulated widely and continues to have influence today, especially in the neo-Pagan community.

Released Jan. 2, 1953 12 min None+

Genres: Documentary, Short

Keywords: tmdb.short-film, mdblist.two-actors, mdblist.imdb-short, aspectratio.1-37-1

Production Companies: Folk Films, English Folk Dance and Song Society

Country: United States
Production Country: United Kingdom
Languages: English