John Grierson Movies

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival...

When Canada entered World War II, the National Film Board suddenly had an urgent new mission—and hundreds of women stepped forward, helping to...

Made to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the London County Council, responsible for many of the changes celebrated in the film – modern...

The film, made to advertise domestic telephone sets, is based around two very different families. The Petts are conventional, happy and have...

Norman McLaren was a cinematic genius who made films without cameras, and music without instruments. He produced sixty films in a stunning range of...

In this delightful fantasy adventure, a mild-mannered writer of adventure stories for girls finds himself presented with an intriguing proposition...

An Irish "oracle" foretells the next day's track results to a newspaperman, resulting in a national uproar.

Documentary about shipbuilding on the Clyde. In 1960, Glasgow and other towns and ports on the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland, were still...

A film made by the British General Post Office (GPO) in 1933, promoting the automation of telephone exchanges.

At Balloch Moss mine in Scotland, water comes through a seam bringing a torrent of mud into the mine and flooding the pit shaft, resulting in 118 men...

A look at the work of Glasgow's Medical Officer of Health.

Ada Shore (Diane Hart) arrives at Skerryvore University in Scotland in search of her long-lost uncle Connell O’Grady (Joseph Tomelty), who was...

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

A behind-the-scenes GPO Film Unit documentary (directed by Stuart Legg) that races from studio rehearsals and newsrooms to control rooms and...

A boy pursues his ambition to be a jockey

Trade Tattoo went even further than Rainbow Dance in its manipulation of the Gasparcolor process. The original black and white footage consisted of...

Marionette parody of Charlie Chaplin.

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

The history of Scotland and the factors that have shaped the character of its people.

An overview of the shepherd's life during the lambing season.