British World War Ii Propaganda Film "Listen to Britain" Wartime England 63584 (1942)

Synopsis

Listen to Britain is an important, highly unconventional WWII British propaganda short film made in 1942 by Humphrey Jennings and Stewart McAllister. The film was produced during World War II by the Crown Film Unit, an organization within the British Government's Ministry of Information to support the Allied war effort. The film is quite poetic in nature and presents 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 conventional narration.. For the American release, Listen to Britain opens with a foreword spoken by Leonard Brockington added by a "nervous civil servant" as there were fears that Americans may be confused by the ambiguity of the film's message. The film conveys unity and strength of the British at war, including showing factories where tanks are built ( 18:00 ), women war workers ( 18:20 ), steel mills, farms ( 2:30 ), etc. At 2:30 plane spotters watch aircraft flying overhead while farmers work in the fields. Other visuals of note include at 11:22, British Army units including tanks are seen moving through a town. At 11:40 a train goes over a bridge. At 13:40, a live performance in a theater with ordinary Britons singing along is shown. Lancaster bombers taking off at 7:18, an ambulance station at 7:40. At 8:12, the ambulance workers play the piano and rest while waiting for calls. At 8:28,radio towers are seen and we hear the…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

20 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage