John Grierson Movies

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs.

Grierson set out to make "propaganda," and this film--with it's voice-over proclaiming the great value of the British industrial worker, without a...

Drama-documentary, reconstructing a real incident in which a trawler got into difficulties in a North Sea storm. Released 7th March 1938.

Trade Tattoo went even further than Rainbow Dance in its manipulation of the Gasparcolor process. The original black and white footage consisted of...

When Canada entered World War II, the National Film Board suddenly had an urgent new mission—and hundreds of women stepped forward, helping to...

A record of an educational experiment in the small town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

Norman McLaren was a cinematic genius who made films without cameras, and music without instruments. He produced sixty films in a stunning range of...

A Cockney lad trains to be a messenger boy.

Marionette parody of Tom Mix.

Documentary following an Edinburgh fishing trawler, the "Isabella Grieg".

Animated shapes dance to Cuban music. This was one of the first animations to be painted directly onto the film.

A stark warning about Britain’s coal-fired smog, charting its damage to health, buildings, and the economy while advocating cleaner...

An overview of the shepherd's life during the lambing season.

A short GPO documentary showing how undersea telephone cables are repaired.

The history of Scotland and the factors that have shaped the character of its people.

A BFI-produced documentary about documentary filmmaker John Grierson speaking about documentary.

A look at how Scotland's water is being used to bring power to the Highlands.

Marionette parody of Cherry Kearton.

Short documentary about British education in the late 1930s.