GPO Film Unit

The GPO Story, co-produced by The Post Office and the BBC, tells the story of the GPO Film Unit's bold experiments in movie-making. Extracts from many of the classics are included, as are interviews with many of the GPO film-makers, including Harry Watt, Basil Wright, Stuart Legg, Edgar Anstey, Chick Fowle, Pat Jackson, R.Q. McNaughton, Ralph Bond and Ken Cameron.

Also included are six colour animated films from the 1930s:
Colour Box (1935) Directed by Len Lye
Rainbow Dance (1936) Directed by Len Lye
Trade Tattoo (1937) Directed by Len Lye
The Tocher (1938) Directed by Lotte Reiniger
The HPO - Heavenly Post Office (1938) Directed by Lotte Reiniger
Love on the Wing (1936) Directed by Norman McLaren

DVD running time: 88 mins colour. To be released in November 2008.

The First Days (1939) directed by Harry Watt, Humphrey Jennings and Pat Jackson - Preparation for war on the home front.
The Front Line (1939) directed by Harry Watt. Dover becomes a target for the Germans.
Squadron 992 (1940) directed by Harry Watt. A barrage balloon squadron is trained and deployed to South Queensferry to defend Rosyth Naval Base and the Forth Bridge. Includes a reconstruction of the Luftwaffe raid of October 16 1939.

DVD running time: 55 mins b/w.

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Story of an Air Communique (1940) with men of the Royal Air Force. Processing the figures for destoyed enemy aircraft.
Britain Can Take It (1940) directed by Humphrey Jennings and Harry Watt. Presented by US journalist Quentin Reynolds. Used by President Roosevelt to help swing US opinion behind Britain.
Britain At Bay (1940) commentary by J.B. Priestley. Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Holland and Belgium have fallen ...
Men of the Lightship (1940) directed by David MacDougall. The Luftwaffe bombing of the East Dudgeon Lightship.
Christmas Under Fire (1941) directed by Harry Watt. A Quentin Reynolds despatch from London to America showing Christmas in the Blitz.

DVD running time: 57 mins b/w.

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Granton Trawler (1934) directed by John Grierson. About a trawler fishing on the Viking Bank.
Coal Face (1935) directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. An experiment in sound in a coal mine.
A Job in a Million (1940) directed by Evelyn Spice. A young cockney lad trains as a messenger boy with the Post Office.
Spare Time (1939) directed by Humphrey Jennings. Workers in the steel, cotton and coal industries at leisure.
The City (1939) directed by Ralph Elton. The growth and development of London. How the Post Office helped ease congestion with its own underground railway.

DVD running time: 75 mins b/w.

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The Saving of Bill Blewitt (1937) directed by Harry Watt. How two fishermen save up to replace their wrecked boat.
North Sea (1938) directed by Harry Watt. An Aberdeen trawler in trouble gets assistance from Wick coastguard radio station. The first successful example of the now familiar drama-documentary.
The Islanders (1939) directed by Maurice Harvey. Life on the islands of Eriskay, Guernsey and Inner Farne are linked to the mainland by the Post Office.
A Midsummers Days Work (1939). About the laying of an 18-mile underground telephone cable in the Chilterns from Amersham to Aylesbury.

DVD running time: 86 mins b/w.

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The King's Stamp (1935) directed by William Coldstream. The designing and printing of the King George V Silver Jubilee stamp, followed by a short history of postage stamps.
The Fairy of the Phone (1936) directed by William Coldstream. A fanciful comedy on how to use the telephone.
News for the Navy (1937) directed by Norman McLaren. Following a package from letter box to delivery to HMS Incredible in Bermuda.
N or NW (1937) directed by Len Lye. The importance of correctly addressing a letter of apology.
Roadways (1937) directed by Stuart Legg and William Coldstream. The history of transport, especially the growth in road traffic.
The Horsey Mail (1938) directed by Pat Jackson. The mail is delivered by boat when part of East Norfolk is hit by floods.
Mony a Pickle (1939), produced by Alberto Cavalcanti. The Post Office Savings Bank is a natural target for Scottish thrift.
Nine for Six (1939). A telegram saves the day when a football team loses its only ball just before a match.

DVD running time: 92 mins b/w with short color sequence.

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John Grierson inspired classic 1936 film of the nightly postal express from Euston to Scotland. Directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, with music by Benjamin Britten and the famous verse "This is the Night Mail crossing the border ..." by W.H. Auden.

Plus a tribute to operations on the West Highland Railway filmed in 1960 as steam days drew to a close. Directed and produced by John Gray.

DVD running time: 55 mins b/w.

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