Shown by Request

Let’s get this show on the road. The Ministry of the Information, and its peacetime successor the Central Office of Information, weren’t the first to take film out of the cinema and onto the doorsteps of Brits nationwide, but they certainly raised the bar on how it should be done. Developments in non-flammable “safety” film stocks, and the availability of “substandard” 16mm film prints from the 1920s, made the film show increasingly portable and meant that any room could become a cinema.

The need and benefits of an official public information film service was clearly demonstrated in the Second World War, and an investment in distribution was just as important as production - especially when the war effort meant a trip to the local cinema was not always on the cards. With a broad range of non-fiction shorts on offer, the peacetime COI kept the show going in classrooms, village halls and canteens across Britain. This reflexive documentary is understandably proud of its own operation, and offers a somewhat polished portrait of the Central Film Library at its hub. But while the location is clearly faked on a studio set, the details and personnel feel authentic. The elaborate stationary and paper trails might make many feel nostalgic for the days before spreadsheets and databases.