Listen to Britain

Listen to Britain 1942

6.08

A depiction of life in wartime England during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.

1942

The People at No. 19

The People at No. 19 1949

4.50

Reported cases of sexually transmitted disease took a sharp rise during and after World War II, but as this film testifies, sexual license amongst soldiers on the frontline wasn't the sole cause. Back on the home front, for many women, like Joan from No. 19, loneliness or newfound independence acted as an incentive to extramarital promiscuity.

1949

Instruments of the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra 1946

1

British educational documentary film about the principal instruments in the modern symphony orchestra, illustrated through Benjamin Britten's composition, "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", for which it was commissioned.

1946

Fires Were Started

Fires Were Started 1943

6.10

British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings, filmed in documentary style showing the lives of firefighters through the Blitz in World War II.

1943

Target for Tonight

Target for Tonight 1941

6.10

This is the authentic story of a bombing raid on Germany... how it is planned and how it is executed. Every person seen in the picture is a member of the Royal Air Force from Commander-in-Chief to aircraft hand, re-enacting his own daily life on the job. They are the men and women who actually direct, plan and execute the raids.

1941

Life in Her Hands

Life in Her Hands 1951

1

A woman blames herself for her husband's death. To overcome her grief and her guilt she becomes a nurse but then a patient dies while under her care.

1951

Daybreak in Udi

Daybreak in Udi 1949

4.30

An African tribe in the Eastern Nigerian village of Umana work to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members.

1949

A Diary for Timothy

A Diary for Timothy 1945

6.62

A narrator recounts the state of Great Britain near the end of WWII via a visual diary for the titular baby boy born in September 1944.

1945

It Might Be You

It Might Be You 1946

1

A doctor talks about the number of injuries and deaths resulting from automobile accidents.

1946

Coastal Command

Coastal Command 1942

4.00

Documentary style presentation of the work of RAF Coastal Command. Shows their work in protecting convoys and attacking enemy aircraft, ships and U-boats, all done by the actual men & women of the RAF.

1942

Ferry Pilot

Ferry Pilot 1942

5.00

Focuses on the work of the Air Transport Auxiliary or ATA. By 1941, literally hundreds of RAF fighters and bombers needed to be flown each day between aircraft factories, maintenance depots and RAF aerodromes. This vital task was carried out by the men and women of the ATA, a civilian air force operating from their own pools and stations all over Britain. Essentially a dramatised account of typical ATA deliveries, the film features coverage of the ATA's own fleet of Ansons, as well as being notable for some excellent Spitfire film and very rare footage of the Whitley bomber, including take off and in-cockpit sequences.

1942

The Silent Village

The Silent Village 1943

6.80

The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.

1943

A Yank Comes Back

A Yank Comes Back 1948

1

In a follow up to 'A Welcome to Britain', Burgess Meredith returns to look at a post-war Britain.

1948

Wing to Wing

Wing to Wing 1951

1

Feature on the modern airplanes in the year 1951.

1951

The Open Window

The Open Window 1952

6.00

One of the first European films commissioned by the countries that signes the Brussels treaty and filmed in the museums of Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Ghent and The Hague. The film shows, by means of 59 works of art, how painting discovered the landscape once it left the strictly religious context behind. Henri storck wrote, "We have tried to eliminate the artificiality of filming. We have tried to hide the camera in order to immerse the audience in the world of the painting and the landscape that it depicts. We want the viewer to discover the feeling of nature for himself, through the artists.... It is not our ambition to make a critical or informative work." This iconic journey from Bosch to Manet and Turner is accompanied by music by Georges Auric.

1952

Out of True

Out of True 1951

6.00

A BAFTA award nominated fictional drama about young Molly Slade who awakens one morning in a depressed state that gradually leads to a complete nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt. It was made as an educational film.

1951

V1

V1 1944

1

Depicts the aftermath of German air raids on Britain with V1 rockets during World War II.

1944