This film is part of Free
Mrs. Cooper's Film No 2
Can film fight? In this fascinating amateur footage, King George sends officers to the front with reels and projectors
Overview
At Buckingham Palace, after handing out Military Crosses for efforts on the French front, the King sends his officers to Italy with film and projection equipment. As his letter to the Italian army explains, by sharing "representations of the doings of my Armies in the field" he intended to show their "efforts in the common cause" and cement unity between the "fighting forces" in Italy. Early scenes in this film show British soldiers on parade and being inspected, as well as relaxing as pals.
Film became a vital propaganda tool in WWI. In the summer of 1916, the documentary The Battle of the Somme was a box-office hit, seen in cinemas by about 20 million Britons in its first six weeks of release. The film allowed the families at home to see what their boys were experiencing at the front: both the dangers and the ways in which the military took care of its men. It was followed by more documentary propaganda films, which were likewise well-received. The mission documented here was intended to replicate the impact of such films on home front morale for soldiers at the front.
Related
No Mischief Here Can Satan Find for Idle Hands to Do No Mischief Here Can Satan Find for Idle Hands to Do
1917 1 mins Silent
Pathe's series on WWI turns its eye homeward in this edition about the interning of enemy aliens
The Production of a Map The Production of a Map
Non-Fiction 1917 7 mins Silent
Worlds within worlds: a maps and globes factory, expertly charted on celluloid
Metropolitan Police Ambulance Team Metropolitan Police Ambulance Team
1917 18 mins Silent
Metropolitan Police officers demonstrate their paramedic skills in this early training film
History of the War: The Birth Place of the Great War History of the War: The Birth Place of the Great War
1917 7 mins Silent
Episode of Pathé's series on WWI, focused on the outbreak of hostilities between Austria and Serbia
Mighty Atoms Mighty Atoms
1917 8 mins Silent
While mothers make guns, children have fun: take a peek inside the Woolwich Nursery for the Children of Munition Workers
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.