Shadows of Progress
Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:00 pm
Land of Promise: The British Documentary Movement 1930-1950
A slimline reissue of the Land of Promise collection, featuring 40 films over four DVDs, this extensive collection is a major retrospective of the British documentary film movement during its period of greatest influence. These films - many of which are made available here for the first time since their original release - capture the spirit and strength, concerns and resolve of Britain and its people before, during and after the Second World War.
Bearing witness to the social and industrial transformations of a rapidly changing world, these fascinating historical documents are all striking for their different approaches to the form. Using poetry, dramatic reconstruction, modernist techniques and explicit propaganda, the filmmakers found fresh, new ways to get their message across.
Bringing together celebrated and less-known works from such luminaries as Paul Rotha, Humphrey Jennings, Ruby Grierson, Basil Wright and Paul Dickson, this landmark release is accompanied by a 92-page book of essays by leading film historians and experts.
A companion collection, Shadows of Progress: Documentary film in post-war Britain 1951-1977, is also available on BFI DVD.
Disc One
* Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty, 1931)
* Shipyard (Paul Rotha, 1935)
* Workers and Jobs (Arthur Elton, 1935)
* Housing Problems (Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, 1935)
* Children at School (Basil Wright, 1937)
* Farewell Topsails (Humphrey Jennings, 1937)
* Today We Live (Ruby Grierson, Ralph Bond, 1937)
* Eastern Valley (Paul Rotha, Donald Alexander, 1937)
* People of Britain (Paul Rotha, 1936)
* If War Should Come (no director credited, 1939)
Disc Two
* Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940)
* Transfer of Skill (Geoffrey Bell, 1940)
* They Also Serve (Ruby Grierson, 1940)
* Tomorrow is Theirs (James Carr, 1940)
* Words for Battle (Humphrey Jennings, 1941)
* Ordinary People (Jack Lee, J B Holmes, 1941)
* Five and Under (Donald Alexander, 1941)
* Night Shift (J D Chambers, 1942)
* The Countrywomen (John Page, 1942)
* Summer on the Farm (Ralph Keene, 1943)
* Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister, 1942)
* Builders (Pat Jackson, 1942)
* Words and Actions (Max Anderson, 1943)
* A Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings, 1946)
Disc Three
* Land of Promise (Paul Rotha, 1946)
* The Balance (Paul Rotha, 1947)
* What a Life! (Michael Law, 1948)
* The Dim Little Island (Humphrey Jennings, 1948)
* Britain Can Make It (No 1) (Francis Gysin, 1946)
* Fenlands (Ken Annakin, 1945)
* Children's Charter (Gerard Bryant, 1945)
* Chasing the Blues (J D Chambers, Jack Ellitt, 1947)
* Cotton Come Back (Donald Alexander, 1946)
* Five Towns (Terry Bishop, 1947)
Disc Four
* A Plan to Work On (Kay Mander, 1948)
* Mining Review 2nd Year No 11 (Peter Pickering, 1949)
* From the Ground Up (no director credited, 1950)
* Transport (Peter Bradford, 1950)
* The Undefeated (Paul Dickson, 1950)
* Family Portrait (Humphrey Jennings, 1950)
Extras
* John Gierson at the NFT (1959, 13 mins): the ‘father’ of documentary addressing a packed audience at the National Film Theatre
* Close Up: Recollections of British documentary (2008, 40 mins): featuring interviews with some of the key figures from the British Documentary Movement
* 92-page book with essays, biographies and notes by leading researchers and scholars in the field of documentary film
Shadows of Progress: Documentary Film in Post-war Britain
Britain emerged from war a changed country, facing new social, industrial and cultural challenges. Its documentary film tradition - established in the 1930s and 1940s around legendary figures such as Grierson, Rotha and Jennings - continued evolving, utilising technical advances, displaying robust aesthetic concerns, and benefiting from the entry into the industry of wealthy commercial sponsors. Thousands of films were seen by millions worldwide. Received wisdom has been that British documentary went into swift decline after the war, resurrected only by Free Cinema and the arrival of television documentary. Shadows of Progress demolishes these simplistic assumptions, presenting instead a complex and nuanced picture of the sponsored documentary in flux.
Patrick Russell and James Piers Taylor explore the reasons for the period's critical neglect, and address the sponsorship, production, distribution and key themes of British documentary. They paint a vivid picture of institutions - from public bodies to multinational industries - constantly redefining their relationships with film as a form of enlightened public relations. Many of the issues that these films addressed could not be more topical today: the rise of environmentalism; the balance of state and industry, individual and community; a nation and a world travelling from bust to boom and back again.
In the second part of the book, contributors from the curatorial and academic world provide career biographies of key film-makers of the period. From Lindsay Anderson's lesser-known early career to neglected film-makers like John Krish, Sarah Erulkar, Eric Marquis and Derrick Knight, a kaleidoscopic picture is built up of the myriad relationships of artist and sponsor.
Shadows of Progress: Documentary Film in Post-War Britain 1951-1977
Shadows of Progress is a landmark collection, bringing together for the first time over 14 hours of film material preserved in the BFI National Archive, telling the previously untold story of British documentary filmmaking through the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
As Britain emerged from the Second World War, new social, political and ideological challenges brought about inevitable and far-reaching change. With change came a need to look at, and engage with, the country's people and places, values and industries in fresh and exciting ways.
Out of the shadows cast by such celebrated documentarians as Humphrey Jennings and Paul Rotha (whose work is explored in Land of Promise), emerged the likes of John Krish, Eric Marquis and Derrick Knight, each of whom employed bold and distinctive new techniques in order to tackle an increasingly diverse array of subjects.
Until now, the films and filmmakers in this collection have been unjustly overlooked and under-appreciated. And yet the films presented here - commissioned by private industry, commercial sponsors, Government departments and independent charities - are every bit as inspired, ground-breaking and indispensable as anything produced by the Free Cinema or British Documentary Movements.
Disc 1 - The Island
* David (Paul Dickson, 1951)
* To Be a Woman (Jill Craigie, 1951)
* The Island (Peter Pickering, 1952)
* The Elephant Will Never Forget (John Krish, 1953)
* Sunday by the Sea (Anthony Simmons, 1953)
* Henry (Lindsay Anderson, 1955)
* Foot and Mouth (Lindsay Anderson, 1955)
* Birthright (Sarah Erulkar, 1958)
* They Took Us to the Sea (John Krish, 1961)
* Faces of Harlow (Derrick Knight, 1964)
Disc 2 - Return to Life
* Thursday's Children (Lindsay Anderson & Guy Brenton, 1954)
* There Was a Door (Derek Williams, 1957)
* People Apart (Guy Brenton, 1957)
* Return to Life (John Krish, 1960)
* Four People (Guy Brenton, 1962)
* A Time to Heal (Derrick Knight, 1963)
* Time Out of Mind (Eric Marquis, 1968)
Disc 3 - The Shadow of Progress
* Three Installations (Lindsay Anderson, 1952)
* The Film That Never Was (Paul Dickson, 1957)
* Stone Into Steel (Paul Dickson, 1960)
* From First To Last (Anthony Simmons, 1962)
* People, Productivity and Change (Peter Bradford, 1963)
* Shellarama (Richard Cawston, 1965)
* Picture to Post (Sarah Erulkar, 1969)
* The Shadow of Progress (Derek Williams, 1970)
Disc 4 - Today in Britain
* Today in Britain (Peter Hopkinson, 1964)
* I Think They Call Him John (John Krish, 1964)
* Portrait of Queenie (Michael Orrom, 1964)
* Education for the Future (Derrick Knight, 1967)
* Tomorrow's Merseysiders (Eric Marquis, 1974)
* Time of Terror (Eric Marquis, 1975)
* The Shetland Experience (Derek Williams 1977)
Extra: Perspectives on documentary filmmaking (2010)
A slimline reissue of the Land of Promise collection, featuring 40 films over four DVDs, this extensive collection is a major retrospective of the British documentary film movement during its period of greatest influence. These films - many of which are made available here for the first time since their original release - capture the spirit and strength, concerns and resolve of Britain and its people before, during and after the Second World War.
Bearing witness to the social and industrial transformations of a rapidly changing world, these fascinating historical documents are all striking for their different approaches to the form. Using poetry, dramatic reconstruction, modernist techniques and explicit propaganda, the filmmakers found fresh, new ways to get their message across.
Bringing together celebrated and less-known works from such luminaries as Paul Rotha, Humphrey Jennings, Ruby Grierson, Basil Wright and Paul Dickson, this landmark release is accompanied by a 92-page book of essays by leading film historians and experts.
A companion collection, Shadows of Progress: Documentary film in post-war Britain 1951-1977, is also available on BFI DVD.
Disc One
* Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty, 1931)
* Shipyard (Paul Rotha, 1935)
* Workers and Jobs (Arthur Elton, 1935)
* Housing Problems (Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, 1935)
* Children at School (Basil Wright, 1937)
* Farewell Topsails (Humphrey Jennings, 1937)
* Today We Live (Ruby Grierson, Ralph Bond, 1937)
* Eastern Valley (Paul Rotha, Donald Alexander, 1937)
* People of Britain (Paul Rotha, 1936)
* If War Should Come (no director credited, 1939)
Disc Two
* Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940)
* Transfer of Skill (Geoffrey Bell, 1940)
* They Also Serve (Ruby Grierson, 1940)
* Tomorrow is Theirs (James Carr, 1940)
* Words for Battle (Humphrey Jennings, 1941)
* Ordinary People (Jack Lee, J B Holmes, 1941)
* Five and Under (Donald Alexander, 1941)
* Night Shift (J D Chambers, 1942)
* The Countrywomen (John Page, 1942)
* Summer on the Farm (Ralph Keene, 1943)
* Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister, 1942)
* Builders (Pat Jackson, 1942)
* Words and Actions (Max Anderson, 1943)
* A Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings, 1946)
Disc Three
* Land of Promise (Paul Rotha, 1946)
* The Balance (Paul Rotha, 1947)
* What a Life! (Michael Law, 1948)
* The Dim Little Island (Humphrey Jennings, 1948)
* Britain Can Make It (No 1) (Francis Gysin, 1946)
* Fenlands (Ken Annakin, 1945)
* Children's Charter (Gerard Bryant, 1945)
* Chasing the Blues (J D Chambers, Jack Ellitt, 1947)
* Cotton Come Back (Donald Alexander, 1946)
* Five Towns (Terry Bishop, 1947)
Disc Four
* A Plan to Work On (Kay Mander, 1948)
* Mining Review 2nd Year No 11 (Peter Pickering, 1949)
* From the Ground Up (no director credited, 1950)
* Transport (Peter Bradford, 1950)
* The Undefeated (Paul Dickson, 1950)
* Family Portrait (Humphrey Jennings, 1950)
Extras
* John Gierson at the NFT (1959, 13 mins): the ‘father’ of documentary addressing a packed audience at the National Film Theatre
* Close Up: Recollections of British documentary (2008, 40 mins): featuring interviews with some of the key figures from the British Documentary Movement
* 92-page book with essays, biographies and notes by leading researchers and scholars in the field of documentary film
Shadows of Progress: Documentary Film in Post-war Britain
Britain emerged from war a changed country, facing new social, industrial and cultural challenges. Its documentary film tradition - established in the 1930s and 1940s around legendary figures such as Grierson, Rotha and Jennings - continued evolving, utilising technical advances, displaying robust aesthetic concerns, and benefiting from the entry into the industry of wealthy commercial sponsors. Thousands of films were seen by millions worldwide. Received wisdom has been that British documentary went into swift decline after the war, resurrected only by Free Cinema and the arrival of television documentary. Shadows of Progress demolishes these simplistic assumptions, presenting instead a complex and nuanced picture of the sponsored documentary in flux.
Patrick Russell and James Piers Taylor explore the reasons for the period's critical neglect, and address the sponsorship, production, distribution and key themes of British documentary. They paint a vivid picture of institutions - from public bodies to multinational industries - constantly redefining their relationships with film as a form of enlightened public relations. Many of the issues that these films addressed could not be more topical today: the rise of environmentalism; the balance of state and industry, individual and community; a nation and a world travelling from bust to boom and back again.
In the second part of the book, contributors from the curatorial and academic world provide career biographies of key film-makers of the period. From Lindsay Anderson's lesser-known early career to neglected film-makers like John Krish, Sarah Erulkar, Eric Marquis and Derrick Knight, a kaleidoscopic picture is built up of the myriad relationships of artist and sponsor.
Shadows of Progress: Documentary Film in Post-War Britain 1951-1977
Shadows of Progress is a landmark collection, bringing together for the first time over 14 hours of film material preserved in the BFI National Archive, telling the previously untold story of British documentary filmmaking through the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
As Britain emerged from the Second World War, new social, political and ideological challenges brought about inevitable and far-reaching change. With change came a need to look at, and engage with, the country's people and places, values and industries in fresh and exciting ways.
Out of the shadows cast by such celebrated documentarians as Humphrey Jennings and Paul Rotha (whose work is explored in Land of Promise), emerged the likes of John Krish, Eric Marquis and Derrick Knight, each of whom employed bold and distinctive new techniques in order to tackle an increasingly diverse array of subjects.
Until now, the films and filmmakers in this collection have been unjustly overlooked and under-appreciated. And yet the films presented here - commissioned by private industry, commercial sponsors, Government departments and independent charities - are every bit as inspired, ground-breaking and indispensable as anything produced by the Free Cinema or British Documentary Movements.
Disc 1 - The Island
* David (Paul Dickson, 1951)
* To Be a Woman (Jill Craigie, 1951)
* The Island (Peter Pickering, 1952)
* The Elephant Will Never Forget (John Krish, 1953)
* Sunday by the Sea (Anthony Simmons, 1953)
* Henry (Lindsay Anderson, 1955)
* Foot and Mouth (Lindsay Anderson, 1955)
* Birthright (Sarah Erulkar, 1958)
* They Took Us to the Sea (John Krish, 1961)
* Faces of Harlow (Derrick Knight, 1964)
Disc 2 - Return to Life
* Thursday's Children (Lindsay Anderson & Guy Brenton, 1954)
* There Was a Door (Derek Williams, 1957)
* People Apart (Guy Brenton, 1957)
* Return to Life (John Krish, 1960)
* Four People (Guy Brenton, 1962)
* A Time to Heal (Derrick Knight, 1963)
* Time Out of Mind (Eric Marquis, 1968)
Disc 3 - The Shadow of Progress
* Three Installations (Lindsay Anderson, 1952)
* The Film That Never Was (Paul Dickson, 1957)
* Stone Into Steel (Paul Dickson, 1960)
* From First To Last (Anthony Simmons, 1962)
* People, Productivity and Change (Peter Bradford, 1963)
* Shellarama (Richard Cawston, 1965)
* Picture to Post (Sarah Erulkar, 1969)
* The Shadow of Progress (Derek Williams, 1970)
Disc 4 - Today in Britain
* Today in Britain (Peter Hopkinson, 1964)
* I Think They Call Him John (John Krish, 1964)
* Portrait of Queenie (Michael Orrom, 1964)
* Education for the Future (Derrick Knight, 1967)
* Tomorrow's Merseysiders (Eric Marquis, 1974)
* Time of Terror (Eric Marquis, 1975)
* The Shetland Experience (Derek Williams 1977)
Extra: Perspectives on documentary filmmaking (2010)