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Marie Reine Angeline (née Partridge) Erembert (known by her maiden name for her film work) (29 January 1903 – August 1995)
Marie Reine Angeline (née Partridge) Erembert was a skilled and prolific amateur filmmaker, whose work spanned nearly three decades, from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s. Born to Leonard and Albertine Partridge in St Andrew, Hertford, Marie grew up in an affluent household. Her father transitioned from being a manager to an art dealer, and the family enjoyed a life of privilege, with properties in both Hertford and London, as well as a staff that included a housekeeper, gardener, and chauffeur.
Marie’s early education was at Vernlam School in Potters Bar. In January 1930, she married Jean J. Erembert and soon after moved to France, where she began her journey into filmmaking around 1934, using 8mm film stock and equipment. She remained in France until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Her life was characterised by extensive travel and the creation of films that documented her international experiences. These films were later exhibited publicly, reflecting her active involvement in local cine clubs including the Amersham Photographic Society.
After returning to England, Marie resumed her life in London and eventually moved to Amersham, where she purchased a home, ‘Beaumont’, there she had a large garden and installed an impressive home cinema room for screening films to local groups. The bespoke set up:
‘ […] seats twenty people comfortably, has dimming lights, electrically operated curtains and a miniature fountain in front of the screen. Adjoining the projection box, which houses a sound projector, twin turntables and tape recorder, is a fully equipped cutting room.’
‘Newsreel’, ACW v.20 n.7 November 1956, p.686
Over the years, Marie became deeply embedded in the amateur filmmaking community and apparently moved between filmmaking groups. She was a member of several cine clubs, including the Amersham Photographic Society, Harrow and Pinner Film Society, and High Wycombe Film Society. Her leadership ability and passion for the art form were recognised when she was appointed Chairman and General Secretary of the Amersham Cine Friends Group (1958).
Marie was especially renowned for her editing skills, making a significant contribution to Grass Track (1955) a film produced by the High Wycombe Film Society and held by Wessex Film and Sound Archive. She collaborated with other prominent amateurs including John Aldred, Eric Saw, Tony Rose, and Tony Willoughby on films including Brushmaking Today (1957) and Wither Shall She Wander? (1957), the latter of which would earn her much acclaim. About the process of making this film she said:
'The part of the film I enjoyed the most was the editing. Building up the story, matching the shots, talking to myself in an endeavour to create a character for each animal, trying all the time to build up atmosphere…that was absorbing. Time didn’t exist for me, I forgot about meals, night was day until the glorious moment when the last splice was made.’
Marie talks about making Whither Shall She Wander? In Amateur Cine World v.22 n.2 June 1958, p.152-3.
Her accomplishments were widely recognised, earning her numerous awards and making her a topic of discussion across the hobby press, with many mentions of her work appearing in Amateur Cine World. She received a two-star rating in Amateur Cine World’s ‘Ten Best’ of 1957 for As It Happened. The following year, Wither Shall She Wander? (1958) won the top prize in the same competition, as well as a British Film Institute Award and the top documentary prize in the Australian A.C.S. competition. In 1960, the film also won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for the best ‘ensemble’ of technical quality, montage, sound, and image. Another one of her works, Spring Rhapsody (1960), further showcased her exceptional talent and won her a spot in the Amateur Cine World ‘Ten Best’.
Marie Partridge’s legacy as a filmmaker is preserved in various archives, including Healdstone Manor and Museum, East Anglian Film Archive and Wessex Film and Sound Archive; though some of her known works are unaccounted for. Her contributions to the amateur filmmaking community remain an enduring testament to her passion and skill and speak to the rich ecosystem of cine societies in the UK in the mid twentieth century.
Bibliography
Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1889-1970
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
1939 England and Wales Register
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Daily Telegraph, 15 August 1995, p.16
Buckinghamshire Advertiser, Friday 05 December 1952, p.7
Buckinghamshire Examiner, Friday 23 January 1953, p1, Friday 04 May 1956, p.11, Friday 30 November 1956, p.9, Friday 13 September 1957, p.1, Friday 14 March 1958, p.1, Friday 28 March 1958, p.5, Friday 10 November 1961, p.2
Newsreel, Amateur Cine World v.20 n.7 November 1956, p.686
These Star Awards Gained Leaders, Amateur Cine World v.21 n.1 May 1957, pp.54-55
Amateur Cine World v.22 n.1 May 1958, reviews on pp.35-6
‘Success Story’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.1 May 1958, p.72
Anon, ‘Sequence Building: A Pictorial Guide’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.2 June 1958, p.152-3)
Anon, ‘Elevated to Stardom: a Cat, a Snake, and a Gosling’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.3 July 1958, p.244)
Anon, ‘British Films for UNICA’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.4 August 1958, p. 352)
Anon, ‘Irish Amateur Film Festival Success’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.4 August 1958, p.352)
Untitled box-out, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.4 August 1958, p.394)
‘Scottish Amateur Film Festival’, Amateur Cine World v.22 n.9 January 1959, p919)
Forthcoming Competitions’, Amateur Cine World, v.22 n.12 April 1959, p1226)
Anon, ‘Newsreel’, Amateur Cine World v.23 n.3 July 1959, p.269)
D.M. Elliot, ‘Cannes: Prizewinner, But Too Horrific to be Shown’, Amateur Cine World, v24, n6 (November 1960), p.545)
Amateur Cine World Weekly, v1 n10 (25, 10) – March 30 1961)
Double Run, ‘8mm Viewpoint: 8mm Arc Makes its Bow’, Amateur Cine World Weekly, v1 n12 (25, 12) – April 13 1961, pp.505, 508
Amateur Cine World Weekly, v1 n19 (25, 19) – June 1 1961, p.827)
‘ACW Newsreel’, Amateur Cine World Weekly, v4 n4 (July 26, 1962), p. 138
Selected Filmography
Marie Partridge Racing Silverstone (1950s) Marie Partridge Racing Silverstone – London's Screen Archives – Title (londonsscreenarchives.org.uk)
[unknown travelogue 'of a journey through France into Spain’], 1952-53 (SOURCE: Buckinghamshire Advertiser, Friday 27 November 1953, p8)]
[unknown documentary film of Bois Farm community centre], 1952-53 [SOURCE: Buckinghamshire Advertiser, Friday 5 December 1952, p7)], 16mm
Grass Track (1955), 16mm - editor, working with HWFS
As it Happened (1956), 16mm - a story film about the Sea Cadets
Whither Shall She Wander (1957), 16mm colour,
Brush Making Today (1957), 16mm, colour: https://player.bfi.org.uk/search/free?q=Marie+Partridge&availability=1
Spring Rhapsody (1960), 16mm
[unknown skiing film], 1960s? [SOURCE: Buckinghamshire Examiner, Friday 1 December 1961, p2)
[unknown film of Russia, possibly travelogue], 1961, 16mm [SOURCE: Buckinghamshire Examiner, Friday 1 December 1961, p2)]
Chiltern Hills Trials (1952) Watch Chiltern Hills Trials online - BFI Player
Thumbnail image: 'Success Story', Amateur Cine World, May 1958, p. 72. If you are the copyright holder for ACW we would very much like to make contact with you, please get in touch with us.