Fear and Peter Brown

1940
Sound
15m

Terror on the home front - literally - in this heady and eccentric brew.

There's terror on the home front - literally - in this heady concoction brewed by the brilliantly eccentric Richard Massingham. A somewhat overripe blend of child psychology and anti-Nazi propaganda, laced with touches of noirish chiaroscuro, dreamlike surrealism and Grand Guignol, builds to an almost cosmic crescendo. Moral: "The understanding of fear is the beginning of courage."

This film shows how fear in early childhood - of the dark for example - can handicap a person in adult life and how it can be exploited by an enemy in wartime.

WWII at the Pictures

Once the cinemas were declared open for business, the film industry kept the reels turning, serving up a mixed diet of news, morale-boosting propaganda and uplifting entertainment.

In the early days of the war, cinemas were closed as a public safety measure, but authorities were soon persuaded of film's many virtues in wartime. Newsreels kept spirits up and relayed vital information, documentaries rigorously explored every aspect of life and work on the home front, and an array of animations and short films imparted practical tips and guidance.

Feature films, meanwhile, offered equal parts inspiring wartime stories and escapist fantasy to bring relief from everyday trials. And with gender roles evolving and so many men away from home, producers were forced to pay more attention (long overdue!) to the tastes and interests of women cinemagoers - with fascinating and enduring results.