John Grierson Movies

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

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...

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

1935 documentary about the hard working life of Welsh coal miners.

Humphrey Jennings' first film as a director, a brief overview of the British postal service.

Short documentary about weather forecasting, emphasising the importance of the GPO's telecommunications systems.

The Brave Don't Cry aspires to the "feel" of a documentary, right down to the deliberate absence of background music. A mine in Scotland falls victim...

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

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

Part of BFI collection "Police and Thieves."

Marionette parody of Tom Mix.

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

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

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

Marionette parody of Buster Keaton.

Seeking her long lost uncle, Ada Shore arrives at Skerryvore University to find him working under another name as the Gate Keeper. Ada is mistaken by...

The life and work of the documentary pioneer.

Short documentary about a trawler fishing for hake.

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

Filmed in Uganda, Man of Africa was assembled by legendary documentary producer John Grierson. The film depicts the mass migration of the Bakija and...