TheCrown Film Unit was an organisation within the British Government'sMinistry of Information during the Second World War; until 1940, it was theGPO Film Unit. Its remit was to make films for the general public in Britain and abroad. Its output included short information and documentary films, as well as longer drama-documentaries, as well as a few straight drama productions.
Music was an important element. The conductorMuir Mathieson was the director of music for many productions, and notable composers commissioned to write original scores includedWalter Leigh,Benjamin Britten,Ernst Meyer,Richard Addinsell,Benjamin Frankel,Christian Darnton,Guy Warrack andArthur Benjamin.[1]
The Crown Film Unit continued to produce films, as part of theCentral Office of Information (COI), until it was disbanded in 1952.
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Scotland | 1952 | Oscar-nominated documentary |
| Mary's Birthday | 1951 | Animation byLotte Reiniger |
| Out of True | 1951 | Directed byPhilip Leacock |
| Daybreak in Udi | 1949 | Directed byTerry Bishop, Oscar-winning documentary |
| School in Cologne | 1948 | Directed by Graham Wallace, short film in the British Zone of Germany |
| Worth the Risk? | 1948 | British road safety public information film |
| Instruments of the Orchestra | 1946 | Scored byBenjamin Britten, later published asThe Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra |
| A Defeated People | 1946 | Directed byHumphrey Jennings, filmed in Occupied Germany |
| A Diary for Timothy | 1945 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings, written byE. M. Forster, featuringMichael Redgrave, DameMyra Hess andJohn Gielgud |
| Two Fathers | 1944 | Directed byAnthony Asquith, written byV. S. Pritchett, starringBernard Miles andPaul Bonifas |
| Western Approaches | 1944 | Docufiction directed byPat Jackson, Crown Film Unit's firstTechnicolor production |
| The Silent Village | 1943 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings |
| Before the Raid | 1943 | Directed byJirí Weiss, written byLaurie Lee |
| Fires Were Started | 1943 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings |
| The True Story ofLili Marlene | 1944 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings, featuringMarius Goring andLucie Mannheim |
| Coastal Command | 1942 | Directed by J.B. Holmes |
| A Letter From Ulster | 1942 | Directed byBrian Desmond Hurst |
| Listen to Britain | 1942 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings, featuring DameMyra Hess andFlanagan and Allen |
| Malta G.C. | 1942 | Directed by Eugeniusz Cekalski and Derrick De Marney, narrated byLaurence Olivier |
| Target for Tonight | 1941 | Directed by Harry Watt, winner of Special Award Certificate fromAMPAS |
| The Heart of Britain (also known asThis Is England) | 1941 | Directed by Humphrey Jennings, narrated byEdward R. Murrow |
| Men of the Lightship | 1940 | Directed byDavid MacDonald |
| Musical Poster Number One | 1940 | Written and directed byLen Lye |
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