Movies: Gpo Film Unit

  • 1936
    Night Mail

    Night Mail (1936)

    Night Mail

    6.11936HD

    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....

    Night Mail
  • 1934
    John Atkins Saves Up

    John Atkins Saves Up (1934)

    John Atkins Saves Up

    01934HD

    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....

    John Atkins Saves Up
  • 1935
    BBC: The Voice of Britain

    BBC: The Voice of Britain (1935)

    BBC: The Voice of Britain

    01935HD

    An impressionistic portrait of the BBC....

    BBC: The Voice of Britain
  • 1934
    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs

    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs (1934)

    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs

    51934HD

    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....

    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs
  • 1934
    The Song of Ceylon

    The Song of Ceylon (1934)

    The Song of Ceylon

    6.21934HD

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

    The Song of Ceylon
  • 1935
    The King's Stamp

    The King's Stamp (1935)

    The King's Stamp

    01935HD

    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....

    The King's Stamp
  • 1940
    London Can Take It!

    London Can Take It! (1940)

    London Can Take It!

    6.61940HD

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

    London Can Take It!
  • 1937
    Trade Tattoo

    Trade Tattoo (1937)

    Trade Tattoo

    5.91937HD

    Trade Tattoo went even further than Rainbow Dance in its manipulation of the Gasparcolor process. The original black and white footage consisted of outtakes from GPO Film Unit documentaries such as Night Mail. Lye transformed this footage in what has...

    Trade Tattoo
  • 1934
    6.30 Collection

    6.30 Collection (1934)

    6.30 Collection

    21934HD

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

    6.30 Collection
  • 1934
    Weather Forecast

    Weather Forecast (1934)

    Weather Forecast

    01934HD

    Short documentary about weather forecasting, emphasising the importance of the GPO's telecommunications systems....

    Weather Forecast
  • 1937
    A Job in a Million

    A Job in a Million (1937)

    A Job in a Million

    01937HD

    A Cockney lad trains to be a messenger boy....

    A Job in a Million
  • 1935
    Coal Face

    Coal Face (1935)

    Coal Face

    6.11935HD

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

    Coal Face
  • 1936
    Rainbow Dance

    Rainbow Dance (1936)

    Rainbow Dance

    6.11936HD

    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....

    Rainbow Dance
  • 1936
    Message from Genova

    Message from Genova (1936)

    Message from Genova

    01936HD

    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 prese...

    Message from Genova
  • 1935
    Sixpenny Telegram

    Sixpenny Telegram (1935)

    Sixpenny Telegram

    01935HD

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

    Sixpenny Telegram
  • 1937
    Book Bargain

    Book Bargain (1937)

    Book Bargain

    51937HD

    Shows the production of the London telephone directory....

    Book Bargain
  • 1938
    Speaking from America

    Speaking from America (1938)

    Speaking from America

    5.51938HD

    Documentary short by Humphrey Jennings about transatlantic telecommunications....

    Speaking from America
  • 1936
    Gardens of the Orient

    Gardens of the Orient (1936)

    Gardens of the Orient

    01936HD

    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 l...

    Gardens of the Orient
  • 1940
    Britain at Bay

    Britain at Bay (1940)

    Britain at Bay

    01940HD

    Wartime morale-boosting propaganda short, looking at the greatness of Britain and the efforts of all to preserve her power and integrity....

    Britain at Bay
  • 1936
    Calendar of the Year

    Calendar of the Year (1936)

    Calendar of the Year

    01936HD

    ...

    Calendar of the Year