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Radio voice over explaining the job of the National Film Unit.
Mentions Stanhope Andrews’ article, Baa baa Blacksheep. Published in the magazine Tomorrow.
Geoffrey Scott discusses the Film Unit covering the NZ War effort and documentary film making. Weekly Review theme music is played. Scott discusses Country Lads the film of the departure of the first troops to WW2 and describes the first screening and the audience response.
Talks about John Grierson’s visit to NZ. Grierson called documentary the ‘creative interpretation of reality’. He managed to change Peter Frasers mind on the development of the National Film Unit.
Peter Wells discusses the concept of ‘realism’ , talks about being aware of the personality of the filmmaker coming through in the film.
The Weekly Review and government propaganda is discussed. Michael Joseph Savage mentioned. July 1941 was the first screening of the first WR ‘Country Lads’ which is praised by the radio announcer. Insert from a Weekly Review about Ruatoria and the Maori community.
John O’Shea talks about Weekly Reviews and the issues they dealt with. Insert from an article on Te Araroa and the district nurse. Insert from show with Aunt Daisy on Weekly Review. O’Shea discusses the National Government and the documentaries they had made. Mentions Geoffrey Scott and his need to make ‘happy films’.
Grant Foster – Natural History films. Discusses the time when the National Film Unit films became less interesting to the public, goes on to talk about what happened to the Unit. O’Shea talks about film makers such as Robert Steel and Rudall Hayward who were making films during the Unit’s boom time. Pacific Films began making Feature films. Sound bite from ‘Patu!’