This film is part of Free
New Towns for Old
Sheffield stands in as 'Smokedale', an industrial Everytown, in this stirring call for "new schools, new hospitals, new roads, new life", after WWII.
Overview
This wartime public information film combines impressive shots of industrial poverty with inspiring words scripted by Dylan Thomas, proffering new housing and better lives after the war. The film was produced by Strand Films, a leading producer of documentaries for the Ministry of Information during World War II, and was intended to boost wartime morale.
Dylan Thomas tries his hand at Yorkshire dialogue in his script for the film. Rather than using a conventional voiceover, he devises a conversation between two young men - with one impressing upon the other (and on the viewer), the urgent need for town planning as they stroll through Smokedale. Thomas later became famous for his 'play for voices', Under Milk Wood, completed in 1953. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
Out of the Rubble Out of the Rubble
Short documentary 2016 18 mins
Visionary filmmaker Penny Woolcock explores half a century of British urban life using films digitised for Britain on Film, the archive project from BFI and its partner archives.
Ladywood Redevelopment Ladywood Redevelopment
Non-Fiction 1965 7 mins Location: Ladywood
The tattered wallpaper of part demolished housing contrasts with gleaming new tower blocks. Ladywood in Birmingham may be on the up but what about the forgotten people?
A City Reborn A City Reborn
Documentary 1945 22 mins Location: Coventry
Coventry prepares to rise from the ashes of WWII in this docu-drama written by Dylan Thomas.
Rotherham up to Date Rotherham up to Date
Promotional 1961 39 mins Location: Rotherham
An absorbing picture of council services at the beginning of the 1960s, with babies getting polio jabs and girls having braces fitted, while Roots is playing at the Civic Theatre.
Bull Ring Shopping Centre Bull Ring Shopping Centre
Documentary 1965 26 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
A bright and breezy promotional tour of Brum's original mega-mall.
Housing Makes History Housing Makes History
Campaigning film 1953 18 mins Location: Barnet
Residents of Barnet and Stockton-on-Tees are the lucky beneficiaries of a government scheme to remedy Britain’s housing problem.
StoryTrails: The People's Map Sheffield StoryTrails: The People's Map Sheffield
Documentary 2022 17 mins Location: Sheffield
This map showcases a curated selection of audio stories and digitally animated 3D scans of the people and places in and around Sheffield.
The Queen at Sheffield The Queen at Sheffield
Documentary 1897 1 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
Sheffield gives the capital a run for its money with an impressive parade celebrating the monarch, a month before the Diamond Jubilee.
Special Olympics Special Olympics
Factual TV 1988 5 mins Location: Sheffield
Sheffield professional sportsmen train determined disabled adults to compete at the Special Olympics in this heart-warming short film. (
Women's Munitions Workers, Sheffield Women's Munitions Workers, Sheffield
Amateur film 1940 7 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
Highly-skilled women defy 1940s gender prejudices and produce munitions in one of Sheffield’s many wartime factories.
Wartime Events in Sheffield Wartime Events in Sheffield
Amateur film 1942 19 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
Military men and women from Sheffield put on a show from 1942-1947 in this patriotic compilation film.
Bus Strike Traffic Bus Strike Traffic
Sponsored film 1959 9 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
A Sheffield bus strike causes traffic congestion in this film that shows the significant local impact that a workplace dispute can have.
Halfway Halfway
Drama 2023 9 mins
Two lovers searching for each other on a beach try to work out some uncomfortable truths over the phone.
I'll Tell You When I'm Ready I'll Tell You When I'm Ready
2024 13 mins
I'll Tell You When I'm Ready follows the personal story of jaye simpson
Cab Ride Cab Ride
2023 12 mins
Two queer lovers bolt out of a house party, into a waiting cab where they have one eventful journey to figure out whether they are truly a match.
The First Kiss The First Kiss
Drama 2023 15 mins
Today is a special day for Andi – he’s going to Madrid for a date with a boy he met online.
Little One Little One
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
Unsure of how to raise a child, a pregnant woman seeks guidance from her gay dads. Her dad reflects on their family’s history, captured on an old camcorder.
Compton's '22 Compton's '22
Drama 2023 17 mins
An intergenerational discussion about the legendary riot that predates Stonewall.