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Britain's RAF: The Royal Air Force

Britain's fighter pilots get a bombastic backing in this high-octane spectacle.

Documentary 1940 18 mins

Overview

The approaching Battle of Britain is the cue for the RAF recruitment drive in this edition of March of Time, as "the one nation Hitler does not want to fight" prepares to do just that. There's definite gravity behind the implication that the Air Force urgently needed new pilots, and the devices employed are rather sensational – with airborne action shots and dramatic re-enactments aplenty.

Apparently it was time to stop being a nation of shopkeepers. March of Time seldom minced its words, although some of its tactics could work in subtler ways. Here, views of the British countryside, mentions of the empire and the strains of Land of Hope and Glory stir up patriotic feelings. But for modern viewers, it's most poignant to hear the Second World War described – at this early point - in terms of months rather than years.

Original title

The March of Time 6th Year No. 6

Genres

Documentary

Country

USA

Language

English

Subjects

Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945) Canada Duke of Windsor (1894-1972) George VI (1895-1952) World War II Spitfires Royal Air Force Blenheim (bomber)

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Inside Nazi Germany Inside Nazi Germany

Documentary 1938 16 mins

A genuinely historic film, which caused much controversy at the time: the first commercially -released American motion picture to explicitly attack Hitler and Nazism.

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Presidential Year Presidential Year

Documentary 1948 15 mins

‘Crisp and sincere’,‘carefully trained’ or ’resonant and vibrant’? Which voice would appeal to you if you had to pick the Republican candidate for the 1948 Presidential Election?

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Great Britain Coronation Great Britain Coronation

Anthology 1937 24 mins

Weatherproof bunting, fog, clockwork dolls and a Hollywood exodus to London: this sideways look at preparations for the Coronation of George VI provides a wry American take on a very British ceremony.

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Metropolis Metropolis

Documentary 1939 18 mins

This ode to New York from March of Time shows us how seven and half million people from every race and nationality in the world, live, work and play together in ‘the greatest metropolis of the New World’.