Rainbow Dance

Rainbow Dance 1936

6.04

Rainbow Dance is a 1936 British animated film released by the GPO Film Unit. This is Lye's second film. It uses the Gasparcolor process.

1936

Night Mail

Night Mail 1936

6.10

This documentary short examines the special train on which mail is sorted, dropped and collected on the run, and delivered in Scotland on the overnight run from Euston, London to Glasgow.

1936

London Can Take It!

London Can Take It! 1940

6.50

A tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.

1940

A Colour Box

A Colour Box 1935

6.01

Animated shapes dance to Cuban music. This was one of the first animations to be painted directly onto the film.

1935

Message from Genova

Message from Genova 1936

1

This expository film shows the mood of European society on the eve of the Second World War while promoting the values of international cooperation. Using the Swiss office of the BBC as an example, the film describes the functioning of radio and presents the possibilities opened by mass communications. After the advent of sound film, Cavalcanti promoted experimentation with sound, and in this connection he was interested in the communicational, organizational, and social aspects of radio.

1936

The Song of Ceylon

The Song of Ceylon 1934

6.21

Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs.

1934

Granton Trawler

Granton Trawler 1934

4.90

Documentary following an Edinburgh fishing trawler, the "Isabella Grieg".

1934

Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs

Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs 1934

5.00

The film, made to advertise domestic telephone sets, is based around two very different families. The Petts are conventional, happy and have children; the Potts are unconventional and unhappy, without children.

1934

War and Order

War and Order 1940

1

Police work during World War II in Britain.

1940

Coal Face

Coal Face 1935

6.10

1935 documentary about the hard working life of Welsh coal miners.

1935

6.30 Collection

6.30 Collection 1934

2.00

Short documentary showing the workings of a large London sorting office.

1934

Sixpenny Telegram

Sixpenny Telegram 1935

1

Experimental GPO publicity film extolling the virtues of the telegram service.

1935

John Atkins Saves Up

John Atkins Saves Up 1934

1

Combining a whimsical romantic tale, practical information about the Post Office Savings Bank, and a gently experimental film-making technique, this film entertainingly depicts some of the prospects opened up by having a savings account.

1934

Love on the Wing

Love on the Wing 1939

6.00

Animation featuring dancing black and white shadows.

1939

The King's Stamp

The King's Stamp 1935

1

The production of King George V's Silver Jubilee (1910-1935) special postage stamp, and a brief dramatised history of the development of the penny post.

1935

Gardens of the Orient

Gardens of the Orient 1936

1

This portait of life on the tea plantations is decidedly rosy – clearly, there are no exploited workers here. However, the film provides an intriguing overview of tea production – from the planting of tea seeds to the final shipping of the precious leaves across the globe.

1936

Post-Haste

Post-Haste 1934

4.80

Humphrey Jennings' first film as a director, a brief overview of the British postal service.

1934

Cable Ship

Cable Ship 1933

1

A short GPO documentary showing how undersea telephone cables are repaired.

1933