This film is part of Free
Our Public Parks
A tour of Glasgow's green spaces
Overview
This upbeat promotional film showcases Glasgow's 48 public parks - including Newlands, Alexandra, Kelvingrove and the Botanic Gardens - as well as its playgrounds and other entertainments. Perhaps surprisingly, given that it was commissioned by the Corporation of Glasgow, the film deliberately accentuates the parks' beauty and tranquillity by contrasting them with the city's less lovely side: "Much of industrial Glasgow is ugly and drab," confesses one striking intertitle.
Our Public Parks was one of a series of films commissioned between 1947 and 1949 by the Corporation's Education Committee under the banner Glasgow Civics - other titles included Our Water Supply, Our Police and How Our City is Governed. Unusually for its time - nearly two decades after the first sound films - the film was shot silent, and may have been presented with a live commentary.
Related
Glasgow Student Rag Glasgow Student Rag
Amateur film 1968 6 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
Get your freak on with the students at Glasgow’s RAG Weeks in the 1960s.
Progress Report II Progress Report II
Public Information Filler 1948 10 mins Location: Glasgow
Two steps forward, one step back as Glasgow’s housing schemes sees residents go from tenement, to prefab, to pebbledashed concrete cottages
Glasgow Territorials Glasgow Territorials
Non-Fiction 1927 1 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
It's a wet and gloomy day in Glasgow and the locals are out in force for the annual Territorials' Church Parade.
Night Mail Night Mail
Documentary 1936 24 mins Location: Euston Sta
The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.
Heavy Industries Heavy Industries
School programme and Educational film 1936 7 mins Location: Glasgow
Splendour and grace - steel and ships made in Glasgow
Tank Bank's Tour through Scotland Tank Bank's Tour through Scotland
Non-Fiction 1918 15 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
The 'Tank Bank' tours through Scotland, selling War Bonds, raising money for the war effort and boosting morale
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.