Shadows of Progress

Building on the phenomenal success of its 2008 DVD release Land of Promise The British Documentary Movement 1930-1950, the BFI here presents an expansive 4-disc reappraisal of documentary filmmaking in the post-war years. Examining films commissioned by both private industry and government departments this collection provides a fascinating portrait of Britain s social, cultural and industrial development throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The films explore topics more resonant today than ever: the joys of childhood, holidays, music, the place of the dispossessed and the marginalised in a prosperous society; industry processes and landscapes, the environment, people and places, tradition and the future.

Presented with a fully illustrated 64 page booklet containing contextualising essays on all of the films and filmmakers.

Special Features:

• All films newly transferred to High-Definition from original film elements
• Includes fully illustrated 64 page booklet containing essays from Lord David Puttnam, historian Dominic Sandbrook and other leading scholars
• 'Perspectives on documentary filmmaking' (2010) - A newly created documentary about the filmmakers and their work