British Council film collection digitised

[mercia]

An online archive of films showing snapshots of typical life in Britain in the 1930s and 1940s has been completed. The final 25 movies in the collection have been digitised and loaded onto the British Council's website. Scenes include the pubs of England, Sheffield's steel industry, London's preparations for war and a mystery for Scotland Yard's Flying Squad.

http://vimeo.com/album/2895588/page:1/sort:preset/format:thumbnail

http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection

[Serial_Apologist]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised, mercia. Many thanks for the alert!

[Tevot]

Certainly worth investigating. Cheers Mercia !!!

[Anna]

Thanks for the link mercia, I'll save it to favourites sidebar. I did take a look at one film Health of the Nation produced in 1943, music by David Moule-Evans and the LSO. I'd never heard of him but I see his music was performed at a Prom in 1945 and he studied under Herbert Howells. I think the films are likely to be a source of such unknown British composers - perhaps I might submit some to Breakfast unknown composers list?

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for the link mercia, I'll save it to favourites sidebar. I did take a look at one film Health of the Nation produced in 1943, music by David Moule-Evans and the LSO. I'd never heard of him but I see his music was performed at a Prom in 1945 and he studied under Herbert Howells. I think the films are likely to be a source of such unknown British composers - perhaps I might submit some to Breakfast unknown composers list?

Listening to the fervently patriotic character of much of the propaganda music during WW2 one shudders to think what composers might be expected to come up with, should we ever be at war again - god forbid that that should ever take place.