This film is part of Free
The British Film Industry
A laudatory item on the mid-1930s British film industry makes this issue of the cinemagazine fascinating for film fans.
Overview
A lengthy and laudatory item on the state of the British film industry in the mid-1930s helps to make this issue of the March of Time cinemagazine particularly fascinating for film fans. With lots of behind the scenes studio footage, including Jessie Matthews being directed by Victor Saville, and numerous clips of box-office favourites, the item argues that Britain had become just as good at producing films as Hollywood. The venerable figure of H.G. Wells is even roped in to bang the British drum.
Ironically, it all came crashing down shortly after this issue was released: beginning in late 1936, an economic crisis in the British film industry led to a period of financial retrenchment, with numerous companies being dissolved and even studios closing. The other two items in this issue look at the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the USA, a programme designed to find employment for America's youth, and an examination of the penal colonies of French Guiana, including the notorious Devil's Island.
Related
Film Director Ken Russell Film Director Ken Russell
News 1972 3 mins Location: Torquay
Writer and Director Ken Russell explains his brush with The Devils.
Michael Caine on the set of The Eagle Has Landed Michael Caine on the set of The Eagle Has Landed
News 1971 5 mins Location: St Mawgan
Michael Caine completes mission as Oberst Kurt Steiner.
Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave
Inside Film 1968 29 mins
Political beliefs and public profile is the core of Redgrave's interview, conducted at a time of immense upheaval in British life.
Anna Karina on Vivre sa vie Anna Karina on Vivre sa vie
Inside Film 2016 35 mins
The actor discusses Jean-Luc Godard’s film about a young woman who drifts into prostitution, and her relationship with the director.
Filmmakers in Focus: Agnès Varda Filmmakers in Focus: Agnès Varda
Inside Film 2021 47 mins
Writer and activist So Mayer joins filmmaker and critic Alexandra Hidalgo to discuss the work of acclaimed French director and artist Agnès Varda.
Filmmakers in Focus: Joanna Hogg Filmmakers in Focus: Joanna Hogg
Inside Film 2021 38 mins
BFI National Archive curator Will Massa and film critic Beatrice Loayza explore the work of contemporary British filmmaker Joanna Hogg.
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.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.