Humphrey Jennings Collection DVD Review:

Humphrey Jennings could be said to be the father of the British documentary. He studied the day to day lives of the British people at their most
vunerable and most heroic....... at a time of war. This celebratory DVD consists of three groundbreaking films centred around London and the Second World War. The first is called Listen to Britain, a document of the sights and sounds of Great Britain in the grip of war. On screen you can see the images of children at school, people in the pub or listening to a pianist play and you can hear in the background the sounds of thse activities
hightened to create a sense of how living in those times were.

The second film is about a new born child named Timothy and the world of war he has entered into. It catalogues the denoument of the crises in the years
of 1944-45, when the battle was fierce and there seemed to be little hope. It has the splendid component of an emotional commentary, penned by E. M. Forster, voiced by the great Michael Redgrave, giving the film that extra ethereal quality. The final film is called I was a Fireman, and
concentrates on one day in the lives of fireman and how the carpet bombing of London, historically known as the Blitz obliterated London and how they
fought these fires.

Watching these films educates the viewer and makes one feel very proud to be part of a people who showed great strength in a time of adversity. When you are shown what that generation went through in the fight for peace, it makes
you appreciate even more what you have now and how easily it can be lost. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, this DVD
should be on the shelves of documentary lovers and those of us that never want to forget what others have sacrificed for us.

Features List

Humphrey Jennings, The Man who listened to Britain: A revealing documentary directed by Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar winning director of masterpiece, Touching the Void about the great man and how he became a legendary
filmmaker.

Personal Comment

I first saw I was a Fireman when I was at college and never thought much of it. Seeing it again all these years later, I am moved by its ability to
capture real people in real and often terrifying situations. The other films are just as elegaic and wonderful and interesting to watch, as they so
aptly capture the essence and history of the 1940's. With the climate of fear that is gripping us at the moment, this disc will do a lot to remind us
of just how resourceful we can be.



Catherine Emenike