This film is part of Free
Shipshape
Lifeboats to the rescue at Shoreham, West Sussex.
Overview
Shoreham-by-Sea is the setting for this brisk, engaging Royal National Lifeboat Institution promo. ‘Introduced’ by an RNLI superintendent, the film explains the need for continuous maintenance of lifeboats. It includes dramatically constructed incidents using local people, lifeboat men – and boats – as the ‘actors’. The censor certificate indicates that the film, ending with a fundraising appeal, was intended for cinema distribution.
This modest but effective short was one of the last productions of Films of Fact, renowned documentary maker Paul Rotha’s production company, before going bust. It was clearly made on a low budget, particularly noticeable in the sound dubbing. But look out for some eye-opening tour-de-force camera movements. The film’s other significance is that it allowed its young director Paul Dickson to take a step towards drama-documentary, the form he would master in his outstanding short films The Undefeated (1950) and David (1951, also on BFI Player).
Related
Shoreham Harbour and the opening of George Street, Hove Shoreham Harbour and the opening of George Street, Hove
Amateur film 1962 4 mins Silent Location: Shoreham-By-Sea
Hove's newly renovated George Street is officially opened by the Queen in this short 1962 film from David A Chesterfield
Shoreham Unlocked Shoreham Unlocked
Amateur film 1993 6 mins Location: Shoreham-By-Sea
The relaxed pace of life in Shoreham-by-Sea is captured by the Albany Cine Club in this laid-back look at the Sussex port
Showgirls is a Western Showgirls is a Western
Short documentary 2025 2 mins
In this mini video essay, BFI contributor Maha Al-Badrawi explains why Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls is a rhinestoned, stilettoed Western.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.