This film is part of Free
No East or West
From Africa to Bayswater: international students receive a charitable welcome in 1950s London.
Documentary 1954 22 mins
Overview
Students from all corners of the globe are welcomed to 50s Britain in this well-intentioned film about the work of the Methodist Missionary Society's International House in Bayswater. While the commentary takes great pains to emphasise the non-discriminatory attitude of the hostel to its African and Asian guests, one can't help but feel that the rigidly English customs of the house - such as folk-singing and playing Monopoly - must have been a strangely alienating experience.
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