British World War II-Era Propaganda Films Surface Online (VIDEO)

British World War II-Era Propaganda Films Surface Online (VIDEO)


British propaganda films from half a century ago have made their way onto the Internet for the first time, and the kitschy clips are providing viewers with a snapshot -- albeit one that's highly sanitized -- of U.K. life between the 1930s and 1950s.
As the BBC is reporting, the overly cheery vintage scenes showing cricket matches and the delights of London's Kew Gardens had been kept in vaults at the British Film Institute. Some of them were reportedly shot by noteworthy filmmakers of the era, including cinematographer Jack Cardiff and director Ken Annakin.
Martin Davison, the British Council's chief executive, says the clips would have been shown around the world in embassies and consulates, particularly during a time when fascism was quickly spreading around Europe.
"We're showing some very nice snippets of how cultural relations happened in the past, and we can perhaps contrast it with how things happen these days," Davidson told the Guardian. "We now have a much more mutual way of doing things." Thirteen of the films are currently available online, with 160 additional clips to be released in the coming weeks.

 

Found a delightfully good little film today. (NOTE: The sound volume is very low.)

This film has been made available for non-commercial research and educational purposes courtesy the British Council Film Collection.
http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection/about-the-collection

The British Council Film Collection is an archive of over 120 short documentary films made by the British Council during the 1940s designed to show the world how Britain lived, worked and played. Preserved by the BFI National Film Archive and digitised by means of a generous donation by Google, the films are now yours to view, to download and to play with for the first time.
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Filmed after the start of the Blitz, 'City Bound' is an exploration of the daily commute into London from the suburbs in 1941.

"Between half past five and ten o'clock each morning five million people are moved from home to work by London's transport system.
Before this can be done, underground and overground transport must be cleaned and refuelled.
Then from the outer ring of London, past green fields and suburban gardens, the move into London begins.
Trains, motor omnibuses, and electric trams bring hundreds of thousands into the centre of the city, to work in the shops, offices, and factories of the largest city in the world."
(Films of Britain - British Council Film Department Catalogue - 1941)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH2ZC9rbxSw

 

First collection of ‘World War Two’ British Public Information Films. Produced by the Central Office of Information.

The films in this collection are:
Salvage / Immunisation / Save Fuel / Christmas Mail / Operator! / Employment Exchange / Women's Royal Army Corps

See: http://archive.org/details/uk_wwii_public_info_films_one

Please note: British Public Information Films are not classed as being in the ‘Public Domain’ however they may be used freely for educational and research use. For any proposed commercial use of the material please contact the British Film Institute (BFI) to obtain a licence.
BFI Archive Footage Sales,
21 Stephen Street,
London, W1T 1LN. UK.
footage.films@bfi.org.uk
http://www.bfi.org.uk
Thanks to the BFI for information and help.

This movie is part of the collection: Short Format Films

Producer: Central Office of Information
Audio/Visual: sound, B&W
Keywords: Public Information Films; PIF; World War Two; WWII; British; UK; Social History; Health; Fuel;
Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States

 

The British Council Film Collection has posted a fabulous treasure trove of CC-licensed, downloadable "cultural propaganda" videos commissioned during WWII to "refute the idea that ours was a country stuck in the past."

See: http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection

Read more about this fabulous resource at: http://www.openculture.com/2012/05/wwii_britain_revisited_in_120_short_films_now_free_on_the_web.html

 

Classic Film Guides (Primarily US) World War II Propaganda Movies
http://www.classicfilmguide.com/index9caa.html