The C.O.I. Collection

[MichaelB]

As promised, the full list of titles for A Portrait of a People:

Disc One

Come Saturday (1949, 29 mins)
Local Newspaper (1952, 16 mins)
An English Village (1956, 20 mins)
Oxford (1958, 20 mins)
Dateline Britain - Look at London (1958, 28 mins)
Looking at Britain - National Parks (1961, 15 mins)
plus bonus short Shown By Request (1947, 18 mins) - described here.

Disc Two

Moslems in Britain - Cardiff (1961, 18 mins)
Looking at Britain - Industrial Town (1962, 11 mins)
John Turner M.P. (1962, 17 mins)
The Poet's Eye (1964, 19 mins)
Speaking of Britain (1967, 25 mins)
Opus (1967, 27 mins)
Portrait of a People - Impressions of Britain (1970, 28 mins)

All titles up to and including 1962 are black and white, the rest are colour. Total running time 291 mins, or just shy of five hours. Everything is in English apart from Moslems in Britain, which is in Arabic with subtitles.

[MichaelB]

COI RIP.

However, there's plenty of life left in the BFI's COI Collection - volume five is imminent (see above), and volume six has just reached the booklet commissioning stage, so will presumably be out well before Christmas. And I don't for one second think this will be the last - I had a chat with the series producer only yesterday, and he gave me the strong impression that he had plenty of ideas for future volumes.

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced for volume 5:

The COI Collection: Volume Five
Portrait of a People

The latest instalment in the BFI’s dedicated DVD series celebrating the films made by the Central Office of Information proudly looks at Britain and its people, and examines what it means to be British. The release coincides with the recent announcement that the COI will close its doors next year.

Promoting an idealised notion of Britain has often been at the forefront of COI film production. From encouraging immigration to re-defining the nation, the titles on Portrait of a People are by turns affectionate, humorous, informative and stirring. Together, they paint a fascinating and revealing portrait of the inhabitants of the country spanning nearly 25 years.

Among the highlights on this volume are: Come Saturday (1949), a lovingly shot picture of the English at play; Oxford (1958), a look at the traditions of Oxford University; Dateline Britain: Look at London (1958), in which actor and broadcaster Bernard Braden takes us on a tour of London; The Poet’s Eye (1964), how Britain and its people inspired Shakespeare; and Opus (1967), a provocative look at what’s new and shocking in contemporary British art, fashion and design from Don Levy (Herostratus).

As well as being distributed overseas, some of the films on these discs were also intended for the home audience. Circulated via the COI’s Central Film Library (CFL), they were loaned out for screenings in Britain’s village halls, at Women’s Institute meetings, at Young Farmers’ clubs, in schools and colleges, at film clubs, in the work place, in cinemas and more latterly on television. The COI also employed mobile film units (in the shape of vans) to bring its offerings to far flung places throughout the land. In this way, the image of a prosperous, creative and above all enduring nation was touted, courtesy of the COI, to its own population.

Disc One
• Come Saturday (1949)
• Local Newspaper (1952)
• An English Village (1956)
• Oxford (1958)
• Dateline Britain: Look at London (1958)
• Looking at Britain: National Parks (1961)
• Special feature: Shown by Request (1947)

Disc Two
• Moslems in Britain – Cardiff (1961)
• Looking at Britain: Industrial Town (1962)
• John Turner MP (1962)
• The Poet’s Eye (1964)
• Speaking of Britain (1967)
• Opus (1967)
• Portrait of a People – Impressions of Britain (1970)

Special features
• Shown By Request (1947, 18 mins); the work of the COI’s Central Film Library (CFL) is explored in this 1940s documentary
• Illustrated 26-page booklet containing film notes and essays

Release date: 18 July 2011
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD921 / E
UK / 1947 - 1970 / b&w, and colour / English, optional hard-of-hearing subtitles /
291 mins / DVD-9 x 2 / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / Dolby Digital mono audio (320 kbps)

[ellipsis7]

Have to pick this up for Don Levy's OPUS....

[antnield]

The Digital Fix on Portrait of a People.

[colinr0380]

Another review of Portrait of a People from DVD Outsider.

[antnield]

Central Books says volume six is due in November and will be entitled Worth the Risk?.

[MichaelB]

Indeed - it's essentially a sequel to Stop! Look! Listen!. The BFI didn't exactly miss the fact that volume 4 is currently the COI series bestseller, and that its pre-Christmas release slot was probably a contributing factor.

But although the theme will still be safety/warning stuff, they're casting the net to include subjects that weren't tackled in volume 4. For instance, this is the title that I'm writing up for the booklet.

[antnield]

But although the theme will still be safety/warning stuff, they're casting the net to include subjects that weren't tackled in volume 4. For instance, this is the title that I'm writing up for the booklet.

That's an interesting short. It was previously included in Strike Force Entertainment's Nuclear War in Britain: Home Front Civil Defence Films 1951-1987 compilation alongside many other fascinating examples.

[antnield]

COI Collection Vol 6: Worth the Risk?

Health, safety and welfare messages are at the heart of the sixth volume in the COI Collection. Crossing the road; sensible drinking; playing with matches; the welfare state; combating terrorism; decrimalisation; crime prevention; surviving nuclear attack...and much, much more, are all tackled here with the usual mix of horror, humour, shock tactics and gentle persuasion. Highlights include: Skateboard Safety (1978), the pioneering animation Charley's March of Time (1948), Say No to Strangers (1981) starring Timothy Spall, and the unnerving Cold War-era film Hole in the Ground (1962) in which warning and defence measures against nuclear attack are depicted.

Special Features:

- Furry Folk on Holiday (1967): Tufty and his friends take a trip to the seaside, luckily Policeman Badger is on hand to save the day.
- Play Safe (1979): in this long form version of the classic COI public information films, Bernard Cribbens and Brian Wilde warn against the dangers of playing near electricity.
- Fully illustrated booklet with new essays, biographies and notes on the soundtrack

[John Hodson]

Is there a discount for Tufty Club members? I'm *sure* I didn't let it lapse...

[antnield]

[MichaelB]

Here's a complete list of titles on Worth the Risk? - the booklet is being locked down as I write this, so you can take it as definitive.

As mentioned a few posts above, it's essentially a sequel to volume 4, Stop! Look! Listen!, and covers some of the same ground - but it also branches out into other warning/safety areas. There's also a greater emphasis on short fillers, including quite a few much-loved classics.

Disc 1

Mr Jones Takes the Air (1946, 10 mins)
Child Cycling Proficiency/Cyclists Turning Right (1950s, 3 mins)
Car Booty - Gnomes (mid-1970s, 70 secs)
Look Back (early 1960s, 40 secs)
Worth the Risk? (1948, 9 mins)
Motorcycle Fashion Scene (1965, 1 min)
Your Turn (mid-1970s, 50 secs)
Welephant (1986, 90 secs)
Pop Goes the Weasel (1948, 10 mins)
Family Income Supplement - Clothes (early 1970s, 40 secs)
Motorcycle Love Affair (1975, 1 min)
Grain Drain (1975, 40 secs)
Charley's March of Time (1948, 9 mins)
Employment Service Agency - Moving (early 1970s, 1 min)
Another World (1980, 3 mins)
Disco (1989, 40 secs)
Another Case of Poisoning (1949, 13 mins)
Skateboard Safety (1978, 40 secs)
Green Cross Code - He's Great (1973, 30 secs)
Clem and Lydia (2000, 40 secs)
Answer to Emergency (1962, 20 mins)
Pride in Driving (early 1960s, 2 mins)
Hand (early 1970s, 1 min)
Zig Zag - Remember the Rules (early 1970s, 45 secs)
Green Cross Code - Julie Saves a Life (early 1970s, 30 secs)

Extras:
Furry Folk on Holiday (1967, 13 mins)
Play Safe (1978, 11 mins)

Disc 2

The Hole in the Ground (1962, 28 mins)
Join the UDR (early 1970s, 1 min)
Peach and Hammer - Carol Hill (1973, 30 secs)
UDR - Car Bomb (early 1970s, 45 secs)
Look... Signal... Manoeuvre (1965, 9 mins)
Wear Bright Gear (1971, 50 secs)
Older Pedestrians - Time (1971, 45 secs)
Green Cross Code - Blockhead Boy (1973, 30 secs)
Granny Gets the Point (1971, 25 mins)
Don't Just Be A Clunker (mid-1970s, 45 secs)
Take an Adult (early 1970s, 50 secs)
Dave (1990, 40 secs)
The Motorway File (1975, 31 mins)
Passing Places (1973, 90 secs)
Laughing Matter (late 1970s, 70 secs)
Under Your Feet (early 1970s, 30 secs)
Say No to Strangers (1981, 14 mins)
Green Cross Code - Blockhead Girl (1973, 30 secs)
Fire is a Nightmare - Tom (mid-1970s, 50 secs)
New Markings for Zebra Crossings (1971, 3 mins)

Let me know if you want any more info about any of these - I haven't seen them all myself, but I have an early proof of the booklet.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Do we get any more of dear Mr Krish in these or will we have to wait for a volume 2?

[MichaelB]

These shouldn't be regarded as films d'auteur, not least because half of them don't have credits at all!

However, John Krish directed Peach and Hammer - Carol Hill, and contributed a reminiscence about it to the booklet that takes longer to read than it does to watch the film.

Other big names behind some of the films include Halas & Batchelor (Charley's March of Time), Richard Massingham (Another Case of Poisoning) and John Mackenzie (Say No to Strangers)

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Thanks for the extra info. Half a Krish is better than no Krish at all and here's hoping Volume 2 will arrive in the new year.

[MichaelB]

Official announcement for volume 6:

The COI Collection: Volume Six
Worth the Risk?

This new instalment in the BFI’s dedicated DVD series that celebrates the films made by the Central Office of Information, examines the issue of ‘risk’ in our everyday lives. It features almost 50 films, from the 1940s to 2000, all peppered with the COI’s characteristic mix of horror, humour, famous faces and gentle persuasion.

Complementing the safety messages in the earlier Volume Four, Stop! Look! Listen!, the films on Worth the Risk? offer advice on crossing the road, sensible drinking, playing with matches, the Welfare State, the complexities of decimalisation, surviving nuclear attack… and much, much more.

Among the many highlights are: Skateboard Safety (1978), play safe ‘you mad skateboard dogs’; Charley’s March of Time (1948), pioneering animation explains the workings of the new Welfare State; Green Cross Code (1973), David Prowse is on hand to admonish and advise; Hole in the Ground (1962), an unnerving civil defence film from the Cold War era; Say No to Strangers (1981), Bernard Hill, Brenda Blethyn and Timothy Spall star in this creepy and uncompromising film; Laughing Matter (circa late 1970s), Robbie Coltrane’s stand-up routine isn’t funny; Passing Places (1973), a bluegrass style road safety song from a young Bill Paterson and Peach and Hammer – Carol Hill, the unforgettable road safety film by director John Krish.

Special features
• The Furry Folk on Holiday (1967, 13 mins): Tufty and his friends take a trip to the seaside; luckily Policeman Badger is on hand to save the day;
• Play Safe (1978, 11 mins): Bernard Cribbins and Brian Wilde warn against the dangers of playing near electricity
• Illustrated booklet with notes and essays from film historians and filmmakers

Release date: 7 November 2011
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD935 / E / 2-disc set
UK / 1946 - 2000 / b&w, and colour / English, optional hard-of-hearing subtitles /
215 mins / DVD-9 x 2 / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / Dolby Digital mono audio (320 kbps)

A complete list of titles is also attached, but I've already posted it - see above.

[MichaelB]

A lovely, and very quotable Digital Fix review from our very own antnield.

Samples:

Essentially it’s an onslaught of scare tactics and sheer terror; deaths, injuries and hospitalisation as caused by cars, bikes, fire, fireworks, food poisoning, car bombs, the H bomb, skateboards and STDs. At almost four hours in length, these two discs represent a kind of epic British equivalent of the Final Destination series, albeit one that flits between the decades and switches from black and white to colour. Nonetheless, the bottom line remains: if you’re appearing in one of these films there’s a strong likelihood you’ll either do yourself serious damage, or much worse.

Or, in more detail:

Grain Drain, for example, is just 40 seconds in length, yet it uses that time succinctly and effectively. This piece recalls Stop! Look! Listen!’s Apaches in its farmyard setting, the central message in this case being “Put a grid on it” in reference to grain pits and their potentially lethal nature if a child were to fall into one. Yet it doesn’t need Apaches’ mini-narrative akin to Ten Little Indians or even a single actor, young or otherwise. All it requires is a toy doll slowly disappearing into the grain in close-up, a voice-over containing such phrases as “a way to drown without water” and the superimposed cries of a very young child. Simple but terrifying - which, of course, works for both the viewer and those who commissioned the film.

[MichaelB]

The Arts Desk on Worth the Risk?:

Risks are everywhere. Crossing the road, cycling, not handling food properly, leaving a car boot unlocked, grain pits, night-time darkness – they all bring risks. Thankfully, government agency The Central Office of Information helped make us aware of the hazards. This two-DVD set – the sixth in the BFI’s collection of COI films – is mind-boggling company. Dealing with the multifarious risks seen here would leave no time to get into danger. You’d have to live in a bubble.

...plus a truly marathon effort from the Wilson Bros over at DVD Active, which tackles each individual title separately. Here's a sample:

Skateboard Safety (1978): This was a fairly desperate attempt to get down with the kids by appealing to the burgeoning skateboarding craze that really took off in the late seventies. All manner of cool and interesting lenses are used to make skateboarding far more interesting than it was (and still isn't), along with a non-catchy song that has less of a hook than Abu Hamza after walking through airport security. The main thrust of this PIF is to get kids to pad themselves up with the right protective gear, including kneepads, helmets, etc - none of which most skateboarders wouldn't been seen dead in (we'd be happy to see most skateboarders dead, irrespective of what clobber they've got on). What's fascinating about this PIF is that it actually shows you kids using skateboards as they were originally conceived and not the manner for which they are used now, which includes going about four feet and jumping up in the air for no reason other than to prove just how much of a tosser you are...

[colinr0380]

That reviewer certainly doesn't like skateboarders!

[MichaelB]

I imagine they were hugely disappointed that none of the skateboarders died horribly at the end - a reasonable expectation, given the stratospheric body count elsewhere.

[Bleddyn Williams]

Is there much overlap with Vol. 6 and the Charley Says series?

[MichaelB]

Is there much overlap with Vol. 6 and the Charley Says series?

More than there was with volume 4 - which made a real effort not to overlap, and I think Lonely Water was the only one. But since volume 6 has more short fillers, there's more of an overlap this time round - though I think it's still being kept to a minimum. And of course the longer items don't overlap at all - thirteen films are over five minutes, with some nudging 20-30.

[Bleddyn Williams]

Thanks very much for the amazingly prompt response, Michael! Think this has to make my Xmas list!

[MichaelB]

It's probably also worth mentioning that even when there are overlaps the BFI transfers will be noticeably superior, as already noted here.

Aside from the most recent films, which were shot on analogue video to begin with, they're sourced from fresh HD telecines of original film elements, whereas the Charley Says DVDs were sourced from old analogue video masters, because that was all that was available until very recently.