The Heart of Britain (1941) User Reviews

Blatant Propaganda

[Optophobic · 7/10 · 12 November 2004]

This very short film (about 10 minutes) is about the civilian population of Britain during the Blitz of WWII. The film is propaganda made to incite the people and encourage them to continue to have strength and continue to be the strong nation they are.

The film shows images of the bombings, but only civilian. The images are mainly from a school playground and a church. There are also interviews with a man who helps with the air raid alarms and a woman who helps hand out tea to the men clearing the rubble. The film tries to show that in the time of the Blitz no one's duties were insignificant, but only important even in the most boring of job as folding clothes for the recently homeless.

The film also makes a bold stand against the Germans by saying that British always enjoy culture and even enjoy German culture when it was good. An orchestra goes on to play Beethoven and then later a chorus sings Handel. There is also the humorous statement that the Blitz is one of the worst atrocities of all time. I thought that was a funny statement to make during WWII.

In all the film is blatant propaganda, but its attempt to be an uplifting film for the British masses was probably well taken at the time.

another excellant Jennings short

[malcolmgsw · 7/10 · 4 July 2020]

This is an excellent propaganda short from Humphrey Jennings probably aimed at neutral countries in general and America in particular.

Allied propaganda directed by the master of propaganda

[parksie-1 · 10/10 · 25 June 2005]

Heart of Britain is a classic piece of British world war two wartime propaganda. Made in 1941 when Island Britain stood alone in the world, director Humphey Jennings came from a middle class up bringing but was fascinated by the working classes.Jennings was one of the founders of the British documentary film movement that used ordinary people on location instead of actors in the studio.Heart of Britain can be split into two separate narratives: The first part of the film uses spoken narrative from the people of Britain trying to carry on with there daily lives , working under the constant threat of bombing. The second part of the film uses sound as narrative(in the same way as Listen to Britain). The bomb damaged building of Coventry are juxtaposed with an audio landscape provided by the music of the Halle Orchestra (who were in exile in Britain from Nazi Germany).Jennings often used congregations singing in churches as audio narrative. The church is a place were people unit together. The Church also symbolises that a greater power- god was on our side! In most of Jennings work there is no real mention of the enemy. German propaganda show the German nation as arrogant superior beings. Jennings showed the British as being ordinary people! The intended audience of this work were the cinema-goers of Britain, ordinary people working on the home front. Another intended audience were the USA, Canada and the British Commonwealth countries who were concerned about the spread of fascism throughout the world.