Furnaces of Industry
A patriotic look at British steelmaking.
The urgent voiceover and the stirring classical soundtrack of this short documentary make for a rousing tribute to the proud achievements of Britain's steel industry. The film was sponsored by the wartime Ministry of Information and the supreme importance of steel is summed up in the final declaration: "Steel - for the triumphs of peace, the victories of war."
Director Cecil Musk made many short documentaries and several feature films, chiefly in the 1940s and 50s. Evidently something of an eccentric figure, he was not universally popular among his colleagues, one of whom later recounted working with a "terrible director called Cecil Musk, who was known as Cecil B. de Musk. He actually worked with a megaphone and wore riding breeches! At Merton Park - I mean, really!" The modest but efficient Merton Park Studios, in South London, were kept busy during World War II producing films for the Ministry of Information.
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Keep the Wheels Turning
The State seized control of much of British industry at the start of the war. Mills and factories now produced munitions, planes, tanks and uniforms, while mines yielded the coal to power it all.
Production went into overdrive. Workforces in key industries like coalmining and shipbuilding were classed as 'reserved occupations' and spared the draft, while an army of women took to the machines to meet the constant demand for munitions and uniforms. In hindsight, we can see that the foundations of the postwar settlement were being laid. The wartime economy was formidable: workers pulled together to meet ever-increasing demand for resources and government oversight kept the motors running.
13 videos in this collection
1
2
Shipbuilders
3
Out Working
4
Her Father's Daughter
5
Good Value
6
Furnaces of Industry
7
A Job to Be Done
8
The New Crop
9
A Call for Arms!
10
Wartime Factory
11
British Made 'ameri-cans' Something to Focus On
12
Dai Jones
13