Britain's Maritime Heritage
Britain's Maritime Heritage: Panamint Cinema has an unrivalled collection of archive films celebrating Britain's Maritime Heritage.
From shipbuilding, trawlers and drifters, the Battle of the Atlantic, public information films, a fisherman using the Post Office Savings Bank to replace his lost boat, to a feature film about the demise of the fishing industry, we have them all.
Drifters and Caller Herrin' (1929, 1947). Drifters was John Grierson's first film, and for the Empire Marketing Board, later to become The GPO Film Unit, is a tribute to the hard and dangerous work of the North Sea fishermen. Silent with intertitles, and a score by Mike Nolan, commissioned by Panamint Cinema. Caller Herrin', produced by Edinburgh film makers Campbell Harper, is about changes made to support the fishing industry after the difficult days of The Second World War.
Fishermen at War comprises four war-time documentaries about the dangers faced in the Atlantic by merchant seamen on convoys, and the contribution made to the war effort by all civilian seamen. Includes Fishermen in Exile - Dutch fisherman escape from their occupied country to continue their work in Britain. The opening film is Atlantic Trawler, with a score by the prolific Willam Alwyn.
Voyages of the Sea Harvesters is an authentic record of work in the fishing fleets during the 1930s. In this fine collection of films, partly in colour, you will hear fishermen, some of whom were in the films, tell of their experiences in the great days of a lost era of fishing. Six films, made by both amateurs and professional studios. The silent films have commentaries from many fishermen whom my colleague Ken Neil interviewed around Scotland's fishermen's missions over a period of about eight months. Sound effects and specially composed music edited at STV's Glasgow studios, completes one of Panamint CInema's best ever productions.
Venus Peter. Young Peter, with a mischievous imagination, lives in an Orkney fishing village (Stromness) with his grandfather. The old man muses on his life, mourning the disappearing fish stocks, which will untimately cause him to give up his beloved boat The Venus. Restored in high definition by Panamint Cinema from the master internegative. On Blu-ray and DVD.
Faces of Scotland is a collection of nine classic documentaries, and features Scotland's first Oscar winner, Seawards the Great Ships, on Scotland's first ever Blu-ray release! Also available on DVD.
Scotland's X-Files comprises eight films made during the Second World War, including Clyde-Built, which address changes being made in shipbuilding to address the need of war-time. "Give Us More Ships ... to win this war" is a plea on Clydeside by actor Leslie Banks, for more funds to fight the war, with rousing music by Geraldo and his Orchestra!
North East Corner. One of the six-strong Pattern of Britain series. A retiring fisherman from Buchan looks over the many changes during his life as he hands over his boat to his son. The old man later visits his daughter, now married to a farmer, and marvels and the new tractors taking over from heavy horses. With a beautiful score conducted by John Hollingsworth. Listen carefully and you'll catch the unmistakable voice of Graham Crowden, uncredited, delivering a short piece of commentary over a scene in a churchyard. The film closes with the much-loved comedian Alec Finlay on stage at the Tivoli, Aberdeen.
Men of the Lightship. On a collection of classics made the GPO Film Unit, Britain at War: Under Fire. By international convention lightships were regarded as neutral in war-time, but the Luftwaffe infamously breached this convention by attacking the East Dudgeon lightship in 1940 with the loss of many lives. Other GPO martime titles include Granton Trawler, made by John Grierson and North Sea, made in 1937 and regarded as the first example of the drama-documentary genre. North Sea relates how the coast guard radio, then operated by the General Post Office, helped guide a rescue ship to recover an Aberdeen trawler whose engines had failed in dangerous waters. Finally, The Saving of Bill Blewitt a GPO promotional film in which two fishermen save with the Post Office Savings Bank to replace their wrecked fishing boat. A bonus film on the North Sea DVD.