Directed by: Humphrey Jennings, Edgar Anstey, Arthur Elton, B. Vivian Braun, Richard Massingham, London Kino Group, Len Lye, Basil Wright, Norman McLaren, Alberto Cavalcanti

Coming from a decade which saw the founding of British realism as well as a flourishing surrealist movement, the thirteen films in this collection reveal a diversity of aesthetics and politics. Different styles and genres jostle each other, from Len Lye's magical advertisement for Shell Oil, 'The Birth of the Robot', to Norman MacLaren's anti-war agit-prop classic 'Hell Unltd', while Elton and Anstey's 'Housing Problems' points to the future format of the television documentary.

At the Empire Marketing Board and later the GPO Film Unit, John Grierson fostered such diverse talents as Lye, McLaren, Basil Wright and Humphrey Jennings, producing landmark documentaries such as Wright's 'Song of Ceylon' and Alberto Cavalcanti's 'Coal Face' - both featured in this collection.

Both this tape and 'History of the Avant Garde - Britain in the Twenties' contain a book on the movement written by Michael O'Pray.

Technical Details

Certification: E
Duration: 177 mins
Cat. No: BFIV069(BFI VIDEO PUBLISHING)
Category: Documentaries & Biographies:Documentaries, Entertainment

Suggestions

Customers who bought this also bought...

History of the Avant Garde: Britain in the Twenties (Pal VHS)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (DVD) (Widescreen) (Region 2)

Dreams That Money Can Buy (Pal VHS)

La Jetee/Sans Soleil (DVD) (Region 2)

8 1/2 (DVD) (Widescreen) (Region 2)