Voice of Ulster

In the years between partition and the Troubles, Northern Ireland was, to most outsiders, an obscure backwater: out of sight, out of mind. This piece, commissioned by the province's government through the UK Central Office of Information, is an intriguing attempt to use film to boost its image. It extolls a picturesque landscape and proud people, and talks up local industries: linen, wool and leather, Belfast shipbuilding and Beleek pottery.

The title refers to the local voices which contribute informative narration - though some of these salt of the earth Ulster folk sound suspiciously like English actors trying their best to sound authentic. You'll listen in vain, of course, for mention of sectarian divisions or the troubled history preceding Northern Ireland's controversial creation barely 25 years before the film was made - and set to explode again 20 years later. "Today the youth of Ulster can look forward to living in... a land of enterprise, a land of prosperity". Suitably impressed, the Stormont government made London-based producer Ronald Riley their industry go-to guy when planning future filmmaking.