Night Mail

Night Mail 1936

6.13

This documentary short examines the special train on which mail is sorted, dropped and collected on the run, and delivered in Scotland on the overnight run from Euston, London to Glasgow.

1936

Britain at Bay

Britain at Bay 1940

1

Wartime morale-boosting propaganda short, looking at the greatness of Britain and the efforts of all to preserve her power and integrity.

1940

Air Post

Air Post 1934

1

Shows the workings of Britain's Air Post service.

1934

Spring Offensive

Spring Offensive 1940

6.50

Documentary short by Humphrey Jennings. The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. The unit was established in 1933, taking on responsibilities of the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit. Headed by John Grierson, it was set up to produce sponsored documentary films mainly related to the activities of the GPO.

1940

Coal Face

Coal Face 1935

6.10

1935 documentary about the hard working life of Welsh coal miners.

1935

The Song of Ceylon

The Song of Ceylon 1934

6.20

Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs.

1934

A Colour Box

A Colour Box 1935

6.00

Animated shapes dance to Cuban music. This was one of the first animations to be painted directly onto the film.

1935

Message from Genova

Message from Genova 1936

1

This expository film shows the mood of European society on the eve of the Second World War while promoting the values of international cooperation. Using the Swiss office of the BBC as an example, the film describes the functioning of radio and presents the possibilities opened by mass communications. After the advent of sound film, Cavalcanti promoted experimentation with sound, and in this connection he was interested in the communicational, organizational, and social aspects of radio.

1936

Trade Tattoo

Trade Tattoo 1937

5.90

Trade Tattoo went even further than Rainbow Dance in its manipulation of the Gasparcolor process. The original black and white footage consisted of outtakes from GPO Film Unit documentaries such as Night Mail. Lye transformed this footage in what has been described as the most intricate job of film printing and color grading ever attempted. Animated words and patterns combine with the live-action footage to create images as complex and multi-layered as a Cubist painting. Music was provided by the Cuban Lecuona Band. With its dynamic rhythms, the film seeks (in Lye’s words) to convey “a romanticism about the work of the everyday in all walks of life."

1937

Post Haste

Post Haste 1943

1

A brief documentary about the history of the Royal Mail.

1943

Gardens of the Orient

Gardens of the Orient 1936

1

This portait of life on the tea plantations is decidedly rosy – clearly, there are no exploited workers here. However, the film provides an intriguing overview of tea production – from the planting of tea seeds to the final shipping of the precious leaves across the globe.

1936

Post-Haste

Post-Haste 1934

4.93

Humphrey Jennings' first film as a director, a brief overview of the British postal service.

1934

Penny Journey

Penny Journey 1938

5.50

As the subtitle of the film suggests - The Story of a Post Card from Manchester to Graffham - this journey is very much focused on the process of sorting, transporting and delivering the postcard in question.

1938

London Can Take It!

London Can Take It! 1940

6.65

A tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.

1940

Rainbow Dance

Rainbow Dance 1936

6.10

Rainbow Dance is a 1936 British animated film released by the GPO Film Unit. This is Lye's second film. It uses the Gasparcolor process.

1936

If War Should Come

If War Should Come 1939

1

Produced shortly before the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, If War Should Come was one of the last films to be produced by the GPO Film Unit before it was re-named the Crown Film Unit and incorporated into the Films Division of the Ministry of Information.

1939

War and Order

War and Order 1940

1

Police work during World War II in Britain.

1940

The King's Stamp

The King's Stamp 1935

1

The production of King George V's Silver Jubilee (1910-1935) special postage stamp, and a brief dramatised history of the development of the penny post.

1935