The Complete Humphrey Jennings Collection Volume One The First Days

Widely considered one of Britain's greatest documentary filmmakers, Humphrey Jennings has long been critically acclaimed for films which beautifully evoke everyday heroism in times of war and peace. Combining poetic observation and humanism with a subtle yet intense national feeling that is also very personal, Jennings was a visionary and progressive patriot in the tradition of Williams Blake and Morris. For the first time ever, The British Film Institute will release the complete films of Humphrey Jennings. This, the first of three volumes, gathers 14 films from the period 1934-1940 and provides a fascinating insight into Jennings' early days as a filmmaker learning and developing his craft. It features the critically acclaimed Spare Time and London Can Take It! as well as some previously neglected works, many of which will be available for the first time since their original release.

Widely considered to be one of Britain's greatest filmmakers, Humphrey Jennings has long been celebrated as the director of works which beautifully capture everyday heroism in times of war and peace. This, the second of three volumes which collect together Jennings' entire output, gathers five films from 1941-1943 and shows Jennings at the peak of his tragically short but outstanding career. From the rousing call to arms of The Heart of Britain and Words for Battle, the poetic evocation of daily life in Listen to Britain, and the powerfully resonating drama of Fires Were Started and The Silent Village, the films included in the set offer a lyrical portrait of the nation at war and a moving celebration of Britishness.

Widely celebrated as one of Britain's greatest filmmakers, Humphrey Jennings is a true poet of the cinema, and his work was the inspiration for Danny Boyle's Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. This, the last of three comprehensive volumes which bring together his entire directorial output, features the films he made between 1944 and 1951, and charts his transition from wartime to peacetime filmmaking. Featuring 'A Diary for Timothy', Jennings' much-loved collaboration with E M Forster, 'The Dim Little Island', a muted but affecting celebration of Britishness, and 'Family Portrait', the esoteric Festival of Britain film, this essential collection confirms Jennings as a master of the cinematic art.