This film is part of Free
Furnaces of Industry
A patriotic look at British steelmaking.
Overview
The urgent voiceover and the stirring classical soundtrack of this short documentary make for a rousing tribute to the proud achievements of Britain's steel industry. The film was sponsored by the wartime Ministry of Information and the supreme importance of steel is summed up in the final declaration: "Steel - for the triumphs of peace, the victories of war."
Director Cecil Musk made many short documentaries and several feature films, chiefly in the 1940s and 50s. Evidently something of an eccentric figure, he was not universally popular among his colleagues, one of whom later recounted working with a "terrible director called Cecil Musk, who was known as Cecil B. de Musk. He actually worked with a megaphone and wore riding breeches! At Merton Park - I mean, really!" The modest but efficient Merton Park Studios, in South London, were kept busy during World War II producing films for the Ministry of Information. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
Yesterday Is over Your Shoulder Yesterday Is over Your Shoulder
Industry sponsored film 1940 8 mins
An enticing government call for men to retrain as skilled engineers to help with the war effort.
Warwork News No 11 Warwork News No 11
Government sponsored film 1942 12 mins
Wartime news magazine for factory workers, sponsored by the Ministry of Supply. News items often stressed the value of the 'factory front'.
Worker and War Front No. 3 Worker and War Front No. 3
Government sponsored film 1942 11 mins Location: Liverpool
A wartime magazine made to motivate and inform war workers, commissioned by the Ministry of Information in 1942 and exclusively screened in factories.
Behind the Guns Behind the Guns
Documentary 1940 20 mins Silent
A Second World War propaganda film, looking at the industrial might behind Great Britain’s armed forces.
Shipbuilders Shipbuilders
Government sponsored film 1940 10 mins
Shipwrights, plate-fitters and riveters support the war effort as their ships take majestic shape in this tour of British shipyards.
The Port of Cardiff 2 The Port of Cardiff 2
Promotional 1943 25 mins Silent Location: Whitchurch
Meat and wheat, oranges and eggs (dried), salmon and peaches (tinned) arrive in Cardiff from Brazil, America, Canada and New Zealand to keep war-time’s wolf from the allied door.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Blades Blades
Drama 2023 2 mins
A group of young Black boys run into a building. One of them is about to do the unimaginable.
We Collide We Collide
Romance 2023 2 mins
A queercore romance - a visceral and immersive exploration of the power of the mosh pit and finding love in the most unlikely of places.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.