The GPO Film Unit

The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) reports, "From 1933 until its demise in 1940, many now celebrated talents of cinema and the arts worked for the GPO Film Unit. The films produced during the relatively short existence of the Unit had a major impact on British film, especially in relation to documentary film making."

It goes on to say, "Made up of a dedicated, largely youthful but badly paid group of individuals the creative impact of the Unit has been immense. Today the films provide a fascinating insight into the history of communications in the 20th Century and of course, postal history."

The films produced by the unit include documentary, animation, advertising, public information films, drama-documentary and satirical comedy on a range of subjects, from postal rates to working class pastimes. Several of the films are avaialble for purchase on the BPMA website.

Shown above, one of the most critically acclaimed and best-loved films produced within the British documentary movement, Night Mail (1936) tells the fascinating story of the travelling post office from Euston to Glasgow and the men who worked on it.

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