British Council Film Archive

[David]

I heard the other day that the British Council had updated their film archive. I had a look over the past couple of evenings and have identified these films as of potential interest to X Markers. All the films that I have watched date from around 1940 - 1945 and are of around 10mins to 15mins long.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/border-weave This film shows the production of cloth in the Scottish Borders and includes a shot of an old shepherd wearing a shepherds plaid. Near the end of the film there is a shot of a pipe band (military?) on Princes Street.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/the-western-isles This one is about life on the isles during the war years. It tells the story of shipwrecked merchantmen making it back to home; and the making of Harris Tweed. It is interesting to hear comments like "exporting to Britain" and getting "supplies from Scotland". It was filmed in Technicolour.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/the-royal-mile-edinburgh Title says it all. Pity its in B&W, there is a shot or two of a soldier in a well patterned kilt, it would have been nice to see its actual colours.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/land-of-invention Watt, MacAdam, Telford, Stevenson, Bell, Murdock, Simpson, et al.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/song-of-the-clyde Travels from the source near Elvanfoot through the orchards of the Clyde Valley to the shipyards, with some interesting footage of Glasgow in 1942. Particularly interesting for me as I have lived within 3 miles of the banks of the river at a number of locations for more than half my life.