COI

Modern advice and old-fashioned values combine in this postwar animated health guide from the makers of Animal Farm.

Ernie tells Eric to ‘be wise’ and not drive home after their Christmas party.

An African tribe in the Eastern Nigerian village of Umana work to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members.

In the middle of a six-week tour of the Indian sub-continent between January and March 1961, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Pakistan and East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

A haunting fire prevention film about keeping matches out of the hands of children.

On an English farm, six reckless children play at being a fierce band of Apache warriors, unaware of the many dangers to which they are exposed. (Public information short film produced on behalf of the British Government to warn children living in rural areas about the risks of playing near farm machinery.)

This film is a compilation of footage shot by Associated British Pathe, which covered royal events for its newsreels, and the company would have been ideally placed to use their footage to make short films for the COI. The varied life of the Queen depicted in the film encompasses duties such as making the first telephone trunk call in 1958, from Bristol.

While a mother busies herself with sewing, a clock counts down the last minute of her daughter’s life as we hear a chilling voiceover reminding us to keep watch over our children when they're near traffic.

A tribute to William Shakespeare devised by Geoffrey Buckland-Smith and made in connection with the quatro-centenary celebrations. Spoken extracts from Shakespeare's works (read by Stephen Murray) blend with visuals of scenes in Britain today which illustrate his references to countryside or childhood, and the sea or to the taverns and trades of London. Includes sequence of Olivier as Henry V and is accompanied by period music on the lute by Desmond Dupré.

The Green Cross Code Man teaches kids how to cross the road safely.

Part of BFI collection "Design for Today."

Queen Elizabeth's younger and only sibling, Princess Margaret, went on a 5-week tour of Mauritius and East Africa in September-October 1956.

Even the most devout monarchist may feel uncomfortable watching this film - hindsight makes this a rather poignant experience. Although clearly intended as a hymn to royal life, with a panting narration describing the bliss Charles, Anne and Andrew are experiencing (the film was made three years before the birth of Edward), the images tell a different story - only a couple of shots feature the children smiling, while the first glimpse of Andrew as a baby, a spotlight shining on his face as photographers snap away, is a faintly sinister symbol of the royals’ lack of privacy from birth. The knowledge that a future of divorce and tabloid scandal would tarnish these children's adult lives adds irony to this snapshot of supposed utopia.

Warning children not to play near 'dark and lonely' water, a horror film style look and voice-over is used in this film to highlight the dangers.

The people, the scenery and the industrial traditions of the Stroud valley and the growth of the woollen industry.

This film tells the story of Ronald, an intelligent boy who wants to become an architect or surveyor. His cousins Paul and Jane cannot believe that Ronald has any awareness of building sites. In Paul's imagination, he and his sister set Ronald in a number of typical sites, to see if he can survive the hazards that kill and maim many children each year. Ronald eventually learns the hard way that he did not know as much about building sites as he thought.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh undertook an official visit to the region in February 1966, as documented in this film. The destinations on this month long excursion included: British Guiana; Trinidad and Tobago; Grenada; St. Vincent; Barbados; St. Lucia; Dominica; Montserrat; Antigua; St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla; Tortola (Virgin Islands); the Bahamas; Jamaica. This rich and detailed Technicolor travelogue was the only film authorised by the Palace. Strict instructions were given prior to the production being given the green light, most notably that the royals could only be filmed when ‘engaged in a public function’. Unlike the more relaxed footage or interviews you might see with the royals now the film is visually very official in tone.

A poetic evocation of the history and character of Britian accompanied by spoken words based on the thoughts of many Britons, among them Sir Winston Churchill, John Keats, William Shakespeare, George Orwell and William Wordsworth.

Part of BFI collection "Portrait of a People."

Reported cases of sexually transmitted disease took a sharp rise during and after World War II, but as this film testifies, sexual license amongst soldiers on the frontline wasn't the sole cause. Back on the home front, for many women, like Joan from No. 19, loneliness or newfound independence acted as an incentive to extramarital promiscuity.