London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
This film is part of Free
Everybody's London
Dramatic public information film exploring the role of the GLC and featuring numerous shots of London streets, people, parks and institutions.
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Overview
A laudable attempt by the GLC to jazz up the dry topic of local government, this films looks at the responsibilities of the GLC, from housing to transport. Includes a brief history of London, explaining why the GLC were formed from the ashes of the LCC and MBW, before exploring contemporary issues, all to a modish soundtrack and fast-cut edit. Includes numerous shots of London streets, people, offices and parks, as well as a general overview of the city in 1971.
A very interesting look at the state of London in 1971, with the recently formed GLC outlining what they believed were the major challenges and solutions facing the city at the start of the 1970s. Features several wonderful street and office scenes, covering numerous aspects of London life, from housing in Thamesmead, reservoirs in Edmonton to culture on the South Bank and the GLC’s own workers at County Hall, where we see secretaries wrestling with new-fangled computerisation. Everybody’s London is different, runs the refrain, and it’s the GLC’s place to balance all these competing interests for the good of the entire city.
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