The Dancing Fleece

UK, 1950. Director Frederick Wilson in collaboration with Carl Koch. 20min.

A delightful blend of promotional film and avant-garde dance, this vivid Technicolor production celebrates British wool manufacturing through every stage of its journey. Commissioned by the National Wool Textile Export Corporation and costumed by Norman Hartnell – then a rising star in British couture – the film juxtaposes meticulous, tactile close-ups of wool yarns and fabrics with Lotte Reiniger’s animations and expressive dance choreographies (including a sheep ballet). The film’s dreamlike, quasi-surrealist aesthetic unfolds through scenes where mannequins are ritualistically dressed. Various sequences highlight wool’s transformation: shearing, spinning, dyeing, and weaving, culminating in a glamorous fashion show finale. 

Past screenings

British Elegance in True Colours – London
Friday 3 August 2012, 18:30 | Sackler Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – London
Sunday 25 May 2025, 18:30 | Garden Cinema, Screen 3
Presented as a part of the programme ‘Animal Matters.’ Newly restored in 4K from 35mm nitrate Technicolor film elements preserved by the BFI National Archive.

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – UK Tour
TBC | Phoenix, Exeter
Presented as a part of the programme ‘Animal Matters.’