London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
This film is currently unavailable
Visual Training Part One, Why Things Are Seen, Merton (1947)
Wonderful, informative military training film about vision, which features shots of south London having been made at Merton Park Studios.
From the collection of:
Overview
Starting with a caption that states “lives were needlessly lost and many opportunities missed for killing” in WWII because of poor visual training, this Army film attempts to teach soldiers the principles of seeing: contrasts of colour, dark and light, texture, silhouettes, shapes, shadows, movement and size. Illustration comes partly from the streets of south London near Merton Park Studios, with shots of shops, pubs, toilets and a No 604 trolleybus.
Related
Watch for free
Bruce Robertson reel 2 Bruce Robertson reel 2
Amateur film 1944 14 mins Silent Location: Merton
London Zoo and little babies feature in this home movie that shows domestic life in south London as well as shots of lion cubs, penguins and polar bears.
Watch for free
Bruce Robertson reel 1 Bruce Robertson reel 1
Amateur film 1944 12 mins Silent Location: Merton
Short home movie capturing the devastating aftermath of a V1 flying bomb in Mitcham and then domestic scenes in Morden and Mitcham.
Watch for free
Two Schools Two Schools
Public Information Filler 1974 36 mins Location: Merton
Interesting look at two of London’s largest comprehensive schools in the 1970s, as children tackle a wide range of subjects.
Watch for free
The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A
Inside Film 2026 36 mins
Writer-director Lucile Hadžihalilović explains how she spun her own dark fairy tale out of Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror New Perspectives: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
Short documentary 2025 3 mins
Harry Coghlan of Northumbria University explains why FW Murnau's 1922 vampire story is an endlessly intriguing work of art.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Watch for free
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Watch for free
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Watch for free
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.