Humphrey Jennings
Date of Birth: 19 Aug 1907
Country: UK
Biography: A filmmaker, a photographer, literary critic, theatrical designer, poet, painter and theorist of modern art. While studying at Cambridge, he designed the first British productions of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale and Honegger's King David, and founded and edited Experiment with Empson and Bronowski. By 1936 he was a leading Modernist and organised the International Surrealist Exhibition in London, along with Herbert Read, Roland Penrose and André Breton. Jennings joined the GPO Film Unit in 1934
Total Credits at Criticker: 2 (Actor), 31 (Director), 2 (Writer)
Biography and picture submitted by driscarpin
Find more information about Humphrey Jennings at The Internet Movie Database
Titles you haven't rated - Actor (2) | Director (31) | Writer (2)
Listen to Britain (1942) - Short Film
Documentary showing a Britain united in the war effort through a montage of various scenes of daily life... (channel4.com)
A film about a day's work for a unit of the National Fire Service at the height of the blitz, it blends observation with fictional reconstruction to achieve a particularly poignant kind of propaganda... (ucpress.edu)
A Diary for Timothy (1945) - Short Film
Baby Timothy James Jenkins is born on 3rd September 1944, as an end to the war appears finally within reach. What does the future hold in store for him? (screenonline.org.uk)
London Can Take It! (1940) - Short Film
Reporter Quentin Reynolds narrates and comments on the fortitude, courage, and perseverance of London civilians during the months of bombing by German air forces in the Second World War. Documentary footage of air-raid shelters, fire brigades, and decimated structures illustrate the plight and the strength of the citizens of London. (imdb)
Words for Battle (1941) - Short Film
Poetry by Rudyard Kipling, John Milton, and William Blake, and excerpts from speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, all read by Laurence Olivier, illuminate documentary footage of England during its defense against the Nazi blitz in World War II. (imdb)
Family Portrait (1950) - Short Film
In preparation for the celebration of the 1951 Festival of Britain, this short film was released to assure British citizens of their nation's place in the world and of their own places within that nation. Illustrative scenes of farming, science, political, and social life are juxtaposed to present a familiar and reassuring image of Britain. (imdb)
The Story of the Wheel (1934) - Short Film
Documentary short by Humphrey Jennings about the how the wheel was invented and used through the ages.
Speaking from America (1938) - Short Film
Documentary short by Humphrey Jennings about transatlantic telecommunications.
The Heart Of Britain (1941) - Short Film
A Crown Film Unit piece of WW2 propaganda emphasizing the important role industry plays in the continuing war effort.
Spare Time (1939) - Short Film
A look at how industry workers spend their time when they are not at work. (imdb)
S.S. Ionian (1939) - Short Film
A 1939 documentary produced by the GPO Film Unit that follows the route of the SS Ionian as she plys her trade in the Mediterranean.
Spring Offensive (1940) - Short Film
World War II Farming in England (1940); farming propaganda film. Intensive farming was necessary for the survival of Britain during the war time. The pressure upon farmers was overseen by the War Ag. (youtube)
The Silent Village (1943) - Short Film
The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales. (imdb)
The Dim Little Island (1949) - Short Film
A collection of the thoughts of four distinguished Britons, each of whom speak about Britain and its past, present and future. The related film images of Britain's nature and industry are beautiful. (imdb)
A Defeated People (1946) - Short Film
This is a short film about the German people in the destroyed post-war Germany of 1946. (imdb)
The Eighty Days (1944) - Short Film
The film is a retrospective account of the V-1 blitz (the 'doodlebug') on London and the south-east of England during 1944 and 1945. These pilot-less bombs were fired from France and the film follows anti-aircraft gun crews on the south coast, onlookers and fighter planes, as Britain tries to deal with the incoming menace. (imdb)
This Is England (1941) - Short Film
Edward R. Murrow narrates Humphrey Jennings' short documentary about life in England during wartime.
The Cumberland Story (1948) - Short Film
Humphrey Jennings' post-war documentary chronicles the modernisation of the Cumberland coal mines in the 1940s. (BFI)
The True Story of Lilli Marlene (1944) - Short Film
How Lili Marlene became the signature tune for the British army in North Africa. (imdb)
Myra Hess (1945) - Short Film
Piano virtuosa Myra Hess performs Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, known as the "Appassionata", on stage in a concert hall. Hess performs only the first movement of the sonata.