Listen to Britain and Other Films by Humphrey Jennings

Originally, documentary filmmaker Humphrey Jennings' 18-minute Listen to Britain was commissioned to cover the lunchtime concert series at London's National Gallery, but Jennings--a propagandist of the human spirit--turned it into a film about national unity. Despite a lack of dialogue, the short seems to sing, picking up the human voices in the ether--radio broadcasts, vaudeville acts, and songs--in an aural cacophony (especially with the addition of natural and industrial sounds) that becomes the sound of the people of Britain, at once a national symphony and poetic affirmation of the British character. The six Jennings films featured in this collection argue that even if the nights were full of bombs and men were leaving for the war never to return, England would still survive. The Griersonian influence on Jennings' work is seen here in his love of high-profile collaboration--“Words for Battle” features Laurence Olivier reading Kipling, Churchill, and Lincoln; while “A Diary For Timothy” has a voiceover written by E.M. Forster and narrated by Michael Redgrave--and his steadfast belief in national institutions (“Fires Were Started” is a 70-minute love letter to the National Fire Service). While the prints are sometimes scratchy from age, this collection of documentaries by a landmark filmmaker is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (D. Fienberg)