Crossing the Border: Images of England in the 1930s

Synopsis

Examines how England and Englishness were portrayed in the 1930s in poetry, advertisements, photographs and film. W H Auden, for example, drew attention to the discrepancy between the way ordinary English people lived and thought and the image, still dominant around 1930, of a unified green and pleasant land. The 1930s were not just a time of doom and gloom and unemployment - for many there were new opportunities, including the use of the countryside for relaxation and pleasure. Auden rejected the nostalgic view of better, vanished days but was interested instead in recent human industrial activity and human relationships. The documentary movement in writing, photography, painting and film was also aiming to create a new vision of England which incorporated industry and working-class life. The climax of this effort was the GPO film NIGHT MAIL. Shows extracts, illustrating an attempt to unite the rural south with the industrial north.

Series

Literature in the Modern World, Course A319

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 24 min.

Year of production

1991

Availability

Sale; 1998 sale: £145.00 (+VAT +p&p)

Subjects

English language and literature

Keywords

documentary films; England; social life and customs

Credits

Producer

Betty Talks

Contributor

Angus Calder

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk