John Grierson Movies

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival...

Made to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the London County Council, responsible for many of the changes celebrated in the film – modern...

At Balloch Moss mine in Scotland, water comes through a seam bringing a torrent of mud into the mine and flooding the pit shaft, resulting in 118 men...

In this delightful fantasy adventure, a mild-mannered writer of adventure stories for girls finds himself presented with an intriguing proposition...

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

A behind-the-scenes GPO Film Unit documentary (directed by Stuart Legg) that races from studio rehearsals and newsrooms to control rooms and...

Farming techniques and modern methods bring new crops to market.

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

An Irish "oracle" foretells the next day's track results to a newspaperman, resulting in a national uproar.

This documentary short examines the special train on which mail is sorted, dropped and collected on the run, and delivered in Scotland on the...

A silent film by John Grierson. It tells the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery.

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

Marionette parody of Charlie Chaplin.

Short documentary showing the workings of a large London sorting office.

Ada Shore (Diane Hart) arrives at Skerryvore University in Scotland in search of her long-lost uncle Connell O’Grady (Joseph Tomelty), who was...

A boy pursues his ambition to be a jockey

A celebration of the importance of the British countryside.

“Catching up with gossip, inspecting new ducklings, clambering over gates, walking across meadows - the life of a postman appears idyllic, but...

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

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