Night Mail is a 1936 documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. A…
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Jun
21
Jun
21
Night Mail is a 1936 documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. A…
Video Rating: 4 / 5
25 comments
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NODROG HTIMS says:
June 21, 2014 at 5:53 am (UTC 0)
Every time I see this I see the real internet!
Martin Walters says:
June 21, 2014 at 5:59 am (UTC 0)
OMG..link to link..I got here by following links from American 60′s protest
musicians via the Wikipedia subject matter covering “documentary”. I wasn’t
disappointed. Now I understand how “documentary” evolved. I don’t have the
words to express my astonishment at the shear intent of those who made this
film. Absolutely astounding. Youtube and Wikipedia rock…notwithstanding
those human beings who made this film possible. I thank you from the bottom
of my heart.
Mike Knell says:
June 21, 2014 at 6:03 am (UTC 0)
Maybe the finest documentary short in the English-language cinema. Complete
with men wearing hats non-ironically, a tearoom straight out of “Brief
Encounter”, lovable cockney banter, safety practices that would never cut
it today, and oh yeah, a poem by WH Auden, who was an employee of the GPO
Film Unit at the time. And a score by some little-known young composer
called Britten. A good way to spend 22 minutes in the company of the past.
mohamed sallam says:
June 21, 2014 at 6:14 am (UTC 0)
Letters of thanks , letters from banks , letters of joy from the girl and
the boy
jslasher1 says:
June 21, 2014 at 6:24 am (UTC 0)
Happy 100th to the great Benjamin Britten. Excellent score.
Jordan Miles says:
June 21, 2014 at 7:04 am (UTC 0)
spitting them lyrics
mohamed sallam says:
June 21, 2014 at 7:29 am (UTC 0)
the music with the poem makes me feel that the serial killer will appear in
the scene suddenly, after he enter with his black and white shoos lool
Ian MacLeod says:
June 21, 2014 at 8:21 am (UTC 0)
Night Mail (1936), involving John Grierson, W.H.Auden and Benjamin Britten,
was a famous documentary still being shown in the 50′s and 60′s when I
first saw it. Redolent of the years when I was growing up, it is a real
treat to watch it again as a pensioner fifty years later.
Night Mail
phaasch says:
June 21, 2014 at 8:40 am (UTC 0)
Britten and Auden fans may want to check out “The Way to the Sea” made the
following year by the Southern Railway
phaasch says:
June 21, 2014 at 9:00 am (UTC 0)
At 17:28 -Humphrey Jennings in the beret?
Oakleaf700 says:
June 21, 2014 at 9:39 am (UTC 0)
England’s hedgerows- and the look of the countryside is so changed now that
the tall Elms seen in this film are no longer here…Dutch Elm disease
[imported to the UK from America] destroyed these noble trees. Wish the
Steam trains were still around too….lovely documentary.
Bradley Stearn says:
June 21, 2014 at 10:15 am (UTC 0)
What a fantastic film! I watched this for my university course, I am
studying documentary films
yallow rosa says:
June 21, 2014 at 10:22 am (UTC 0)
nice, unfortunately the video resolution is low …
kevin hayes says:
June 21, 2014 at 10:23 am (UTC 0)
fantastic ros the apparatus had gone by the time i joined the tpo,i knew
postman who had used it like yourself,i feel privelidged to have been a tpo
man thanks for your reply mate
poettttt says:
June 21, 2014 at 10:53 am (UTC 0)
I’m glad you uploaded the whole film, even though I’ve always liked the
Auden poem!
NellsStuff says:
June 21, 2014 at 11:44 am (UTC 0)
What a difference between railroading then and now!! Everything was so
precise… now, at least in my area in the US, NOTHING is precise!
Paulo Nideck says:
June 21, 2014 at 11:45 am (UTC 0)
you see..the first rap was white and British! lol
shefafarrukh says:
June 21, 2014 at 12:38 pm (UTC 0)
OMG!How does he speak so fast at the end if the film
skawashers says:
June 21, 2014 at 1:24 pm (UTC 0)
It used to get shown all the time after 12pm on channel 4. which is when i
first caught sight of it. The way the rail workers are swigging out of a
large Bottle . you know full well thats not a Bottle of water.. Its a
Lovely piece of British History
Paulo Nideck says:
June 21, 2014 at 1:57 pm (UTC 0)
Thank you for the upload!
Paulo Nideck says:
June 21, 2014 at 2:46 pm (UTC 0)
This looks really modern and well-made for 1936. Impressive camera work and
editing.
tralens says:
June 21, 2014 at 2:54 pm (UTC 0)
Personal delivery to a farmer waiting for the racing results….This would
not happen today more’s the pity!
roskruge . says:
June 21, 2014 at 3:07 pm (UTC 0)
Hi Kevin I was a Postman not PHG on Up & Down Special TPO also NW Night
Down from Euston to Carlisle 1966 to 1968, you will remember it was the
Postman’s job to do the apparatus and call the “Fix” on. I can tell you
honestly I never missed a drop off or a pick up point. Remember the white
board alongside the track. Being on the TPO was without doubt one of my
best jobs I ever had. Also in the film the ‘governor’ walks up and down
supervising the PHG’s in my time never. Andrew
skawashers says:
June 21, 2014 at 3:49 pm (UTC 0)
@gedebage i didnt know if to upload the whole film Or just the W. H. Auden
part . But as a Big fan of Black n white British films. It would be
sacrilege to chop it down into bite sized chunks. Im pleased you like it
proboner1973 says:
June 21, 2014 at 4:30 pm (UTC 0)
We forget how amazingly efficient communications were 80 years ago. Half an
hour after those letters were posted they were scooped into the TPO
travelling north at 90mph.