Movies: Crown Film Unit

  • 1943
    Fires Were Started

    Fires Were Started (1943)

    Fires Were Started

    6.11943HD

    British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings, filmed in documentary style showing the lives of firefighters through the Blitz in World War II....

    Fires Were Started
  • 1950
    From the Ground Up

    From the Ground Up (1950)

    From the Ground Up

    01950HD

    Documentary short about how Britain is improving after WWII and what the populace can do to help....

    From the Ground Up
  • 1942
    Builders

    Builders (1942)

    Builders

    01942HD

    A short film about how builders help contribute to the war effort....

    Builders
  • 1946
    Instruments of the Orchestra

    Instruments of the Orchestra (1946)

    Instruments of the Orchestra

    01946HD

    British educational documentary film about the principal instruments in the modern symphony orchestra, illustrated through Benjamin Britten's composition, "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", for which it was commissioned....

    Instruments of the Orchestra
  • 1950
    Four Men in Prison

    Four Men in Prison (1950)

    Four Men in Prison

    01950HD

    Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."...

    Four Men in Prison
  • 1942
    Listen to Britain

    Listen to Britain (1942)

    Listen to Britain

    6.11942HD

    A depiction of life in wartime England during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration....

    Listen to Britain
  • 1945
    A Diary for Timothy

    A Diary for Timothy (1945)

    A Diary for Timothy

    6.61945HD

    A narrator recounts the state of Great Britain near the end of WWII via a visual diary for the titular baby boy born in September 1944....

    A Diary for Timothy
  • 1945
    Children's Charter

    Children's Charter (1945)

    Children's Charter

    01945HD

    A documentary about how a bill for education (also known as the children's charter) passed by the British government in the 1940's will help all children get a good education....

    Children's Charter
  • 1943
    The Silent Village

    The Silent Village (1943)

    The Silent Village

    6.81943HD

    The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales....

    The Silent Village
  • 1941
    Ordinary People

    Ordinary People (1941)

    Ordinary People

    01941HD

    Documentary about an average day during the Blitz....

    Ordinary People
  • 1949
    Daybreak in Udi

    Daybreak in Udi (1949)

    Daybreak in Udi

    4.41949HD

    An African tribe in the Eastern Nigerian village of Umana work to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members....

    Daybreak in Udi
  • 1948
    Copy Book Please

    Copy Book Please (1948)

    Copy Book Please

    01948HD

    This short post-war film was made to inform people how to address a letter correctly....

    Copy Book Please
  • 1948
    Children of the Ruins

    Children of the Ruins (1948)

    Children of the Ruins

    01948HD

    The ill effects on children's bodies and minds of the chaotic conditions being countered by the endeavours of UNESCO. The film emphasises especially the problem of the devastated areas....

    Children of the Ruins
  • 1946
    Mr Jones Takes the Air

    Mr Jones Takes the Air (1946)

    Mr Jones Takes the Air

    01946HD

    Perhaps the characters in this film are stupid or even laughable. Before YOU laugh at them remember that people behaving like them often cause accidents on the roads - and country roads are no exception....

    Mr Jones Takes the Air
  • 1941
    The Heart of Britain

    The Heart of Britain (1941)

    The Heart of Britain

    6.71941HD

    Documentary by Humphrey Jennings...

    The Heart of Britain
  • 1949
    The People at No. 19

    The People at No. 19 (1949)

    The People at No. 19

    4.51949HD

    Reported cases of sexually transmitted disease took a sharp rise during and after World War II, but as this film testifies, sexual license amongst soldiers on the frontline wasn't the sole cause. Back on the home front, for many women, like Joan from...

    The People at No. 19
  • 1951
    Mary's Birthday

    Mary's Birthday (1951)

    Mary's Birthday

    4.51951HD

    The flower fairies help a little girl named Mary to thwart germs....

    Mary's Birthday
  • 1944
    Two Fathers

    Two Fathers (1944)

    Two Fathers

    71944HD

    An Englishman and Frenchman sharing a hotel room discover their children are fighting on the same side, French Resistance and R.A.F....

    Two Fathers
  • 1941
    Target for Tonight

    Target for Tonight (1941)

    Target for Tonight

    5.81941HD

    This is the authentic story of a bombing raid on Germany... how it is planned and how it is executed. Every person seen in the picture is a member of the Royal Air Force from Commander-in-Chief to aircraft hand, re-enacting his own daily life on the ...

    Target for Tonight
  • 1951
    Out of True

    Out of True (1951)

    Out of True

    61951HD

    A BAFTA award nominated fictional drama about young Molly Slade who awakens one morning in a depressed state that gradually leads to a complete nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt. It was made as an educational film....

    Out of True