Public Information Films

Public Information Films were one of the responses by the British Government to the communication challenges of a mass electorate. This book explores its somewhat tortuous progress in the 1930s and 1940s by examining the Government's own attempts at filmmaking through the film units of the Empire Marketing Board, the General Post Office and, eventually the Ministry of Information's Crown Film Unit. These Units enabled many who regarded themselves as documentarists to develop their skills and techniques over the course of two decades. Whilst acknowledging that Grierson, Jennings and others made significant contributions to the Public Information Film this book takes a slightly different perspective. Its focus is upon the entire film catalogue produced by the Government Film Units from 1930 to 1952 rather than the personalities. From this perspective it is possible to identify significant themes in the films and consider whether they addressed the demands of their sponsors or reflected more widespread national concerns and anxieties. To achieve that the impact of these films is further explored by assessing their reception amongst contemporary audiences. The overall success of the film units was such that they developed a template for Public Information Film production which was used until the 1970s. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of Government communication by film and its responses to the issues facing the British public in the 1930s and 1940s.