Crown Film Unit

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

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

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.

How Britain coped with a Christmas during the war.

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.

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.

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.

The ill effects on children's bodies and minds of the chaotic conditions being countered by the endeavours of UNESCO. The film emphasises especially the problem of the devastated areas.

An account of the first expedition to the Queen Maud Land region of Antarctica.

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

A story acted and narrated by men of the Merchant Navy illustrates the way their war is fought: a merchant ship in convoy is sunk by a torpedo; the crew are rescued and later join another ship; and a young seaman among them is motivated to take a gunnery course.

Documentary by Humphrey Jennings

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.

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

A Letter From Ulster (1943). Northern Ireland's greatest film director Brian Desmond Hurst directed the film and his assistant director was fellow Ulsterman William (Bill) MacQuitty who went on to make the ultimate Titanic film A Night to Remember. The script was written by Terence Young who went on to direct the early Bond films. All the components were in place for a fine film and this short (32 minute) by the Crown Film Unit remains an important part of Ulster and America's cultural history. As the opening credit says "This film is dedicated to those members of the US Forces Who are our guests in these islands". The film shows American soldiers landing in Northern Ireland and settling into their new camps. The arrival of mail from 'back home' helps camp moral, however, two brothers receive none. Their commander realises that the two brothers have not sent any letters back to their parents and gives the order to write a letter home- A Letter From Ulster.

Tradition, dance and song, modern customs and development and welfare services in the Caribbean Islands.

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.

A documentary short on The Festival in London.

A portrait of Hawick, pronounced 'hoik' by the locals, a town in the Scottish Borders. The film was shot in Technichrome - a vibrant colour system developed in 1948 to photograph the British Olympic Games.

This short post-war film was made to inform people how to address a letter correctly.