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Automata are feature in this rare and poetic film produced as a BBC Christmas special broadcast on December 18th 1976. This is the (only) complete version with the full Cleopatra scene. Featuring Jack Donovan's famous collection of spectacular automata most of which went on to form the York Museum of Automata in 1990. The news article introducing the film is from 'Art & Antiques Weekly' Dec 1976. Jack Donovan was a well known Music Box and Automata dealer in the Portobello Road in London. I used to visit him with my young son every saturday in his shop, this was during the last year of his life when his toleration of the public was diminishing fast. We didn't speak much, every week he just gave me a couple of pennies to feed a large Polyphon and we would listen to the music, exchange pleasantries and then get on our way. Towards the end Jack helped me to move from clock restoration to become a specialist Automata restorer by giving me parts and introducing his customers. I also bought my first automaton from Jack, an unspeakably rude and un 'pc' smoker made by David Secrett (see BBC 'Small World' on DS also on YT). This film is magnificent and a great tribute to Donovan as well as the master automaton makers from Paris whose creations feature throughout. The York Museum of Automata video is also on Youtube where many of the same automata can be seen 20 years on. Michael Start - The House of Automata “to be an automaton is to exist for the sole purpose of performing a predetermined repertoire; endless, unchanging, without ambition but without care”
