Wow - I watched this over the course of about one week and I was in a kind of nirvana. My parents grew up in this time and place and could have easily been one of the many onscreen participants.  Images can speak such volumes - especially those less contrived and inherently as real as these. This BFI DVD set is absolutely filled with life - life of a different time and era - an entire world away from 'now'. Part of existence is accepting your place in society and I can't think of a better documentation concept at achieving self-awareness than viewing these short films from Britain's past. It did that for me anyhow.

Complete film listing:

Disc One
* Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty, 1931)
* Shipyard (Paul Rotha, 1935)
* Workers and Jobs (Arthur Elton, 1935)
* Housing Problems (Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, 1935)
* Children at School (Basil Wright, 1937)
* Farewell Topsails (Humphrey Jennings, 1937)
* Today We Live (Ruby Grierson, Ralph Bond, 1937)
* Eastern Valley (Paul Rotha, Donald Alexander, 1937)
* People of Britain (Paul Rotha, 1936)
* If War Should Come (no director credited, 1939)

Disc Two
* Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940)
* Transfer of Skill (Geoffrey Bell, 1940)
* They Also Serve (Ruby Grierson, 1940)
* Tomorrow is Theirs (James Carr, 1940)
* Words for Battle (Humphrey Jennings, 1941)
* Ordinary People (Jack Lee, J B Holmes, 1941)
* Five and Under (Donald Alexander, 1941)
* Night Shift (J D Chambers, 1942)
* The Countrywomen (John Page, 1942)
* Summer on the Farm (Ralph Keene, 1943)
* Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister, 1942)
* Builders (Pat Jackson, 1942)
* Words and Actions (Max Anderson, 1943)
* A Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings, 1946)

Disc Three
* Land of Promise (Paul Rotha, 1946)
* The Balance (Paul Rotha, 1947)
* What a Life! (Michael Law, 1948)
* The Dim Little Island (Humphrey Jennings, 1948)
* Britain Can Make It (No 1) (Francis Gysin, 1946)
* Fenlands (Ken Annakin, 1945)
* Children's Charter (Gerard Bryant, 1945)
* Chasing the Blues (J D Chambers, Jack Ellitt, 1947)
* Cotton Come Back (Donald Alexander, 1946)
* Five Towns (Terry Bishop, 1947)

Disc Four
* A Plan to Work On (Kay Mander, 1948)
* Mining Review 2nd Year No 11 (Peter Pickering, 1949)
* From the Ground Up (no director credited, 1950)
* Transport (Peter Bradford, 1950)
* The Undefeated (Paul Dickson, 1950)
* Family Portrait (Humphrey Jennings, 1950)
 

Image quality is imperfect but surprisingly good all things considered. There is no extensive damage that I witnessed and speckles are prevalent to varying degrees for each film. Audio too, is fairly dodgy at times but thankfully BFI have included optional subtitles.

There are some supplements - Close Up: Recollections of British documentary is a 40 minute piece and includes new interviews with directors Pat Jackson, Peter Bradford, Peter Pickering and Paul Dickson, and with cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky. John Grierson at the NFT is a 13 minute 1959 short as an introduction to that theatrical showing (where do they dig this stuff up?). Plus there is an extensive 96-page illustrated booklet with introductory essays, biographies and notes on all of the films by leading researchers and scholars.

This is obviously a very personal thing but I was enamored enough to consider this package quite wonderful and for those considering indulging - I'd like to give them my strongest encouragement. I will cherish this DVD set - giving it a prominent place in my library.    

Gary W. Tooze