This film is part of Free
Signs of the Times
The mark of a good magazine is variety - so here are Mars bars, netball and an ageing but fully functioning Fanny.
Overview
Adverts are some of the most revealing signs of their times, capturing the hopes and desires of their era in compact juicy nuggets. Wallace Publicity’s long-running magazine style cinema series was in many ways a forerunner of commercial television, bookending the feature content with ads that paid the bills and often proved more punchy and entertaining.
Related
The Warning (Gibbs S.R. Toothpaste) The Warning (Gibbs S.R. Toothpaste)
Advert 1941 5 mins
An amazingly complex cinema ad, disguised as a trailer for a film that never existed
Symphony in Colour (Persil Advert) Symphony in Colour (Persil Advert)
Advert 1942 5 mins
Super soft-sell Persil ad, in the guise of a lush Technicolor essay on colour itself.
Music Hath Charms Music Hath Charms
Advert 1935 4 mins
Pratfalls galore in rib-tickling commercial for Bush radios.
Every Man His Own Housewife (Persil Advert) Every Man His Own Housewife (Persil Advert)
Advert 1940 3 mins Silent
This propaganda advert encourages housewives to use Persil, the powder that gives “longer life to your linens”.
Let's Ask the Ladies Let's Ask the Ladies
Musical 1937 23 mins
A Co-op window dresser dreams of his mannequins coming to life in this musical fashion fantasy.
Murder in the Air Murder in the Air
Advert 1935 4 mins Silent
“There is nothing you can beat about the Bush”: the wireless wows in this stylish ad for Bush Radio.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.