Videoteca

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Christmas Wishes 1944
Animated short from Halas and Batchelor encouraging the British public to post early for Christmas.

Post Haste 1943
A brief documentary about the history of the Royal Mail.

The Story of an Air Communiqué 1940
Sponsored by the Ministry of Information and shown as part of cinema programmes throughout the Second World War, this short film takes place halfway through the Battle of Britain and at the beginning of the Blitz, during sustained bombing raids on UK cities.

London Can Take It! 1940 star_border 6.5
A tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.

Britain at Bay 1940
Wartime morale-boosting propaganda short, looking at the greatness of Britain and the efforts of all to preserve her power and integrity.

Spring Offensive 1940 star_border 6.5
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.

War and Order 1940
Police work during World War II in Britain.

Health in War 1940
The organisation of medical services in Britain during the Second World War.

If War Should Come 1939
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.

The Chiltern Country 1939
“The rolling hills and wide valleys of the Chilterns are given centre stage in this travelogue aimed at boosting tourism … The Chilterns are a range of rolling hills not far from Greater London; starting at the Thames in Oxfordshire and meandering in a north-easterly direction for nearly 50 miles, before having the good sense to stop short of Luton. This travelogue was produced by the Travel and Industrial Development Association, projecting an image of olde worlde charm to audiences abroad. The fact that this version is silent suggests that it was made for non-theatrical screening.” - BFI Player.

Oh Whiskers 1939
Live action and animated toys are used to illustrate the importance of cleanliness and eating good food.

Love on the Wing 1939 star_border 6
Animation featuring dancing black and white shadows.

N or NW 1938 star_border 6.2
Correspondence between young lovers nearly ends in disaster through a mistake in postal district. Fortunately the GPO spots the error and all ends well, but with the moral that correspondents should get the address right.

What’s on Today 1938
“The preparations made by the GPO to enable the press and the BBC to cover a major sporting event, in this instance, the Manx T.T. motor-cycle races.” - BFI.

Penny Journey 1938 star_border 5.5
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.

A Job in a Million 1937
A Cockney lad trains to be a messenger boy.

Book Bargain 1937 star_border 5
Shows the production of the London telephone directory.

Daily Round 1937
“Catching up with gossip, inspecting new ducklings, clambering over gates, walking across meadows - the life of a postman appears idyllic, but this Devon postie has some startling ideas about improving efficiency... The inimitable Richard Massingham, a doctor turned actor and filmmaker, co-directed this film, and appears in it as the testy Mr Proctor. This film was produced by John Grierson, often hailed as the father of British documentary. It was made for the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit, one of the most remarkable creative institutions that Britain has produced. It provided a springboard for many of the best-known and critically acclaimed figures in the British Documentary Movement.” - BFI

Rainbow Dance 1936 star_border 6
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.

Night Mail 1936 star_border 6.1
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.

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