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The GPO Film Unit Collection

Created in 1933, the GPO Film Unit was one of the most remarkable creative institutions that Britain ever produced.
A hotbed of artistic talent, it provided a springboard to many of the most acclaimed figures in the British Documentary Movement and beyond, including John Grierson, Alberto Cavalcanti, Humphrey Jennings, Lotte Reiniger, Len Lye and Norman McLaren. The selected films below showcase the varying experimental directions explored by the Film Unit, and also illustrate its attraction to a range of creative figures including Benjamin Britten and WH Auden, collaborators on the Unit’s best loved work, Night Mail.
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Night Mail Night Mail

Documentary 1936 24 mins Location: Euston Sta

The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.

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A Colour Box A Colour Box

Advert 1935 4 mins

Part experimental cinema, part advert for the parcel post service, always joyful.

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Spare Time Spare Time

Documentary 1939 14 mins Location: Sheffield

A rare glimpse into the leisure pursuits of ordinary people in pre-war Britain.

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Love on the Wing Love on the Wing

Advert 1939 4 mins

A line-drawing love story in a surreal land, made to advertise Empire Air Mail but withheld due to "Freudian" symbolism.