Words for Battle
Encyclopedia
Words for Battle is a British propaganda film produced by the Ministry of Information's Crown Film Unit
in 1941. It was written and directed by Humphrey Jennings
, and originally had the title In England Now. It features seven sequences, each containing images of rural and urban Britain at war overlaid with audio of Laurence Olivier
reciting passages from different English literary works and speeches.
's translation of William Camden
's Britannia. This is followed by a recitation of part of John Milton
's tract Areopagitica
, accompanied by shots of Westminster Abbey
, RAF recruits in training and Adolf Hitler
speaking with Nazi officers. The third sequence, depicting children being evacuated from London, is joined with words from William Blake
's poem 'Jerusalem'. This is followed by images of Naval
destroyers at sea, backed by Robert Browning
's 'Home-thoughts, from the Sea'. The next sequence shows firemen and police officers searching through the remains of damaged houses during the Blitz, accompanied by Rudyard Kipling
's 'The Beginnings'. After this, Winston Churchill
is shown inspecting a parade of soldiers, while Olivier recites a section from his 1940 speech, 'We shall fight on the beaches
'. As the speech continues, the film shows post-Blitz rebuilding work. The film's climax features an extract from Abraham Lincoln
's Gettysburg Address
, accompanying footage of tanks passing the statue of Lincoln in Parliament Square
, the chimes of Big Ben, and civilians travelling to work.
during the Blitz, juxtaposed with Churchill's words 'we shall never surrender', as one of many examples of the use of the undamaged landmark as an artistic symbol for British defiance.
, a publication produced by documentary film-makers who favoured realism over poetry. It was described as:
has also released it on DVD as part of a collection of nine propaganda films, under the title Words for Battle.
Crown Film Unit
The Crown Film Unit was an organisation within the British Government's Ministry of Information during World War II. Formerly the GPO Film Unit it became the Crown Film Unit in 1940. Its remit was to make films for the general public in Britain and abroad...
in 1941. It was written and directed by Humphrey Jennings
Humphrey Jennings
Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...
, and originally had the title In England Now. It features seven sequences, each containing images of rural and urban Britain at war overlaid with audio of Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
reciting passages from different English literary works and speeches.
Overview
The film opens with an extract from Philemon HollandPhilemon Holland
Philemon Holland was an English translator.His father, John Holland, was a clergyman who fled the Kingdom of England during the persecutions of Mary I of England...
's translation of William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
's Britannia. This is followed by a recitation of part of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's tract Areopagitica
Areopagitica
Areopagitica: A speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of unlicensed printing to the Parliament of England is a 1644 prose polemical tract by English author John Milton against censorship...
, accompanied by shots of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, RAF recruits in training and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
speaking with Nazi officers. The third sequence, depicting children being evacuated from London, is joined with words from William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's poem 'Jerusalem'. This is followed by images of Naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyers at sea, backed by Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
's 'Home-thoughts, from the Sea'. The next sequence shows firemen and police officers searching through the remains of damaged houses during the Blitz, accompanied by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's 'The Beginnings'. After this, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
is shown inspecting a parade of soldiers, while Olivier recites a section from his 1940 speech, 'We shall fight on the beaches
We shall fight on the beaches
We Shall Fight on the Beaches is a common title given to a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 4th June 1940...
'. As the speech continues, the film shows post-Blitz rebuilding work. The film's climax features an extract from Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
, accompanying footage of tanks passing the statue of Lincoln in Parliament Square
Parliament Square
Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. It features a large open green area in the middle, with a group of trees to its west. It contains statues of famous statesmen and is the scene of rallies and protests, as well as being a tourist...
, the chimes of Big Ben, and civilians travelling to work.
Analysis
The director Humphrey Jennings described the film as being about "the Lincoln statue in Parliament Square". On this basis, film historian Michael Bartlett has emphasised the final sequence, stating that it "underlines Jennings' belief in the ordinary man and woman as both the nation's driving force and the rightful beneficiaries of victory in war", as underlined by the words of the Address about "the government of the people, by the people, and for the people". Anthony Aldgate and Jeffrey Richards have pointed to the importance of the image of St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
during the Blitz, juxtaposed with Churchill's words 'we shall never surrender', as one of many examples of the use of the undamaged landmark as an artistic symbol for British defiance.
Critical reception
The film was heavily criticised by the Documentary News LetterDocumentary News Letter
The Documentary News Letter was a magazine about documentary film founded by film-maker John Grierson. It featured editorials and film reviews written by members of the Documentary Film Movement. Film-maker and historian Basil Wright claimed it was influential during the Second World War, having an...
, a publication produced by documentary film-makers who favoured realism over poetry. It was described as:
...an illustrated lantern-slide lecture...the effect of which on morale is quite incalculable. The man who must feel most out of place is poor old Handel. As he stood on his gaily coloured barge conducting the Water Music that was to bring him back into royal favour he can hardly have guessed that it would come to this.
DVD release
The film is available in the BFI DVD boxset, Land of Promise: The British Documentary Movement 1930-1950. The Imperial War MuseumImperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
has also released it on DVD as part of a collection of nine propaganda films, under the title Words for Battle.
External links
- Words for Battle at ScreenonlineScreenonlineScreenonline is a Web site devoted to the history of British film and television, and to social history as revealed by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lottery New Opportunities Fund.Reviews...