U.A.B. (Workers Newsreel No.3)

Punchy political film capturing mass protests against unemployment.

This punchy protest film captures indelible images of mass demonstrations in London, converging on Hyde Park, against the government’s Unemployment Assistance Board. The UAB oversaw a system of strictly means-tested benefits. The Film and Photo League was a group bringing professional and amateur filmmakers together to make films in the socialist cause. In this case, four cameras were present and between them they have left us extensive coverage of, and several individually striking angles on, an impressively large crowd of protesters. The League hoped that footage would be sent in of protests outside London but this call was apparently unsuccessful: the campaign outside the capital is represented by newspaper clippings. All the same, this is a fascinating film - a worthy precursor of the demo footage captured so much more easily today by mobile phone.