Author Archive: Retro

One of the 20 or so men birthing the communal farm says ‘lets establish an immortal democracy’ with super political bombast. They all say ‘no that got us into this mess.’ The next says ‘lets be socialist. the government should control everything’. Many say no to that. Then the humble Swedish guy says “Well i don’t know the meaning of any of these words you all just said but i know this, we need a big man for a big job and John is the biggest man here.’ Everyone cheers and shouts hip hip hooray for John. Well there you go. The rest of the film has as much depth as this scene. The level of detail and care put into realism is also comparable.

Auditions and screen tests for Gone With The Wind

Impressionistic depiction of Berlin from morning to night.

Deep-sea fishing adventure.

Deep-sea fishing adventure.

An explanation for American audiences of what rationing means to ordinary British families.

Grierson set out to make “propaganda,” and this film–with it’s voice-over proclaiming the great value of the British industrial worker, without a hint of ambiguity or doubt–fits that category well. The authoritatarian narrator feels out-of-date and unsophisticated, but the footage is well shot and interesting, and the transparency of the propaganda aspect is almost a reflief at a time when so many films have hidden agendas.

The story of the breakup of an 18 year marriage, as seen from the points of view of both the husband and the wife.