Life and Death of the ‘Picture Post’

Synopsis

Traces the history of the magazine that became a British institution during the pre- and post-war years. The genius behind the magazine was its creator and first editor Stefan Lorant whose willingness to give free reign to young photographers led to ‘Picture Post’s enormous success. As a crusading journal the ‘Picture Post’ paved the way to Labour’s election victory in 1945. But perhaps its most lasting effect was to change the popular concept of the status of photography. The film features amongst other photographers, Bert Hardy, whose photographs of the atrocities inflicted on prisoners held by Americans and South Koreans during the Korean War led to a final disagreement between the editor and the owner and to ‘Picture Post’s decline in the 1950s.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Film; Film. 16mm. sd. b&w/col. 60 min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1977

Availability

Hire

Subjects

Media studies

Keywords

magazines; Picture Post

Credits

Producer

John Ormond

Writer

John Ormond

Cast

Réné Cutforth

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Production Company

Name

BBC Television (Wales)

Distributor

Name

Arts on Film Archive, University of Westminster

Notes

Arts on Film Archive offers on-line access to a large range of films on art produced in the United Kingdom since the 1950s, and is a unique record of British and international post-war art, as well as of documentary film-making in the UK. In its first phase, the archive offers a complete database and an on-line video streaming of all 450 films made by the film department of Arts Council England between 1953 and 1998 and several films produced till 2003 by the dance Department of ACE. The collection is only available streamed to ac.uk domain addresses.