This document provides an overview and analysis of two early British documentary films: Nightmail (1936) and Heart of Britain (1941). It summarizes that Nightmail was one of the first documentaries produced by the GPO Film Unit that portrayed the dignity of the working classes while also employing staged elements. Heart of Britain was produced during World War II as a propaganda film to boost British morale and counter German propaganda by portraying ordinary British people surviving the war effort. Both films utilized techniques like voiceovers, music, and actual footage to construct narratives about British identity while also potentially disseminating ideological messages about class and gender.

1. Early Documentary

2. Nightmail
• Nightmail (1936) signaled the beginning of the
British Documentary Film Movement.
• Directed by Harry Watt with contributions by
John Grierson, the 24 minute documentary
film about the Postal Special’s journey from
London to Scotland was designed to fulfill the
basic objectives of documentary: Entertain,
Educate and Inform.
• Commissioned by the GPO film Unit (the
General Post Office), Nightmail was one of the
first docs that drew attention to the dignity
and function of the working classes.

3. Nightmail
• Nightmail received much criticism for its many
‘contrived’ and staged elements.
• These included the use of a model railway for
the ariel shots in the opening sequence, a
studio that was rocked from side to side for
the internal shots and a script for the subjects
within it.
• Despite this blatant manipulation of the text,
John Grierson had no problems in admitting
that he deliberately constructed elements of
his texts for entertainment value, always
referring to doc film-making as ‘the creative
treatment of actuality’.

4. Nightmail
• Nightmail in an expository documentary that draws on
the fundamental codes and conventions.
• Voice-over – Perceived as the ‘Voice of God’ who guides
you through the narrative, providing the audience with
information. A male voice that adheres to patriarchy
and sounds authoritative and unchallengeable. Often
deemed to patronise the working class subjects (the
middle classes talking about the working classes)
• Music – Alberto Cavalcanti understood the importance of
this convention to create mood and anchor the images
on screen. Very little music is used until the poem by W
H Auden (Nightmail Rap) begins towards the end of the
text. The music resembles that of the train, gathering
momentum and pace then dipping as it reaches its
climax.

5. Nightmail
• Actuality Footage – The footage was designed to be real
and immediate, tracking the journey of the train at its
main stops. In order to create a sense of verisimilitude,
Grierson manipulated aspects of the text to create a
more aesthetically pleasing documentary (manipulation
and construction).
• Reconstruction – As mentioned above, in order to create
a sense of drama and reality, Grierson reconstructed
scenes (mail sorting scene), ensuring the audience
could get a clearer understanding of the workings of the
Postal Service.
• Narrative – Forms a day to night narrative that runs in a
chronological order and ends with the completion of the
postal run. Adheres to cause and effect and conforms to
the continuity editing system.

6. Nightmail
• Real People, Real Events – Despite giving the working
class subjects a voice for the first time, the subjects
were given scripts in order to ensure the documentary
did not deviate from its main intention to inform and
educate (putting words in the mouths of the w.classes).
At times, the subjects seem aware of the camera,
making their actions appear contrived (‘is that the
postal special? Right on time as usual…’) which can be
related to the Hawthorne Effect. However, the
documentary does represent the dignity and function of
the working classes. Unfortunately, many of the
working class would probably never get to see the
finished doc due to economic restrictions. Therefore,
the documentary largely takes on a middle/upper class
tone, educating the wary middle classes of working
class life without them actually having to ‘expose’
themselves to them.

7. Nightmail
• No women are present in the text, again
reflecting the lack of participation by women in
manual work (in context with the era) and
suggesting they have no role in industry
(support patriarchy).
• Despite these problematic representations, this
documentary was deemed positive in that it
showed a united Britain who work together
and communicate, aiming to boost moral and
show the development of the country (both
socially and industrially) during the period of
modernity.

8. • The rise of documentary film-making in Britain
was a response to the following factors
1. Cultural Anxieties during 1930/40s e.g. fear of
Americanisation due to Hollywood domination;
fear of homogenisation
2. Need to establish a National British Cinema
that challenged Hollywood and was committed
to realism rather than escapism.
3. The unique demands of WWII – generating a
sense of British identity and unity.

9. • The impact of documentary realism was that a
set of influential film-making techniques (Cs &
Cs) were developed as well as an increased
focus on everyday life and social issues that
the audience could identify and relate to.

10. • These documentary texts were important for
many reasons such as:
1. Used as a tool for communication between the
state and citizen (Nightmail and the
progression of modern society)
2. Construction of British identity and presenting
a unified Britain
3. Present dignity of the working classes in their
own environment to define and structure their
place in society for the middle classes
4. Issues covered included: Monarchy;
Parliament; justice; law and order; hard work.

11. • During WWII, this documentaries became even
more important in order to boost moral and ensure
that Britain stayed united.
• These documentaries became a vital tool for
communication during a time when most forms of
mass communication (TV) were non-existent.
• The texts were usually supported by the State and
were extremely topical (generally short due to time
span of production). Many of these documentaries
generated employment due to the personnel
needed to produce them.
• These early texts had a huge impact on the British
film industry.

12. • Heart of Britain (1941) was made by
Humphrey Jennings during the onslaught of
WWII.
• Acting as a source of propaganda, the text’s
main exposition was to send a message out to
the whole of Britain (and our enemies) that we
were surviving.
• The documentary combines images of
beautiful landscape and war torn Britain in
order to create a sense of juxtaposition and
development.
Heart of Britain

13. • Voice-over – Unlike in Nightmail, the voice-
over used in this text is passionate and
engaging, guiding the audience through the
narrative. However, the voice is still male
which adds a sense of authority. In a bid to
challenge the German propaganda of a ‘weak
Britain’, the narrator states sarcastically, ‘look
at them covering in fear’ whilst images of
women playing games in the bunkers are
played out.
Heart of Britain

14. • Interviewees – Jennings particularly focuses
on interviews of ‘ordinary people’ in order to
project his exposition. However, many of
these appear contrived (the man who is going
home for his tea after a hard day) and can
also be seen to be disseminating ideological
messages to its audience. An example of this
would be the female interviewee who’s main
task is to ‘bring the men their tea’. It could be
construed that this has been used to glorify
the more passive role of women during the
war, ignoring the more active roles that many
of them actually played.
Heart of Britain

15. • Real people, Real Events – As with Nightmail,
the text draws attention to the dignity and
function of the working classes, focusing on
Industrial England. This could again be for the
benefit of the middle classes who were largely
ignorant of the w.classes contribution to the
war effort.
• Actuality Footage – All the footage is filmed on
location to provide a sense of credibility and
authenticity. However, it can be argued again
that some of the action was contrived.
Heart of Britain

16. • Music – The use of music plays a fundamental
part in anchoring the mood and images within
the text. The song ‘Hallelujah’ has strong
religious and celebratory connotations,
suggesting the faith Britain have in themselves
to survive and creating an upbeat tone that
should evoke pride in the audience. The use
of the Halle Orchestra who play a Beethoven
piece suggests a gracious Britain who pay
homage to the Germany ‘that was’.
Heart of Britain