War Aims for the Workforce: British Workers Newsreels during the Second World War
This item is a collection of newsreels of British workers during the second world war. A newsreel is a collection of topical news films collected onto a single reel, and shown in cinemas as part of the general entertainment program. Newsreels with sound were around ten minutes in length, and would contain eight or more stories per issue. To an extent, the newsreel can be likened to a form of early television, which is supported by the fact that they mostly lost validity with the rise of television in the 1950s.
Newsreels were quite a popular entertainment medium from their conception in 1910 till the previously mentioned rise of television. The unity of the Allied nations, under the banner of “United Nations,” is highlighted regularly, as are stories regarding the perils of Fascism and Nazism, especially during the first two years. Home front stories focus on multiple points, including military training, civilian war production, women in the workforce, war bond drives, and many other subjects. They tended to avoid controversy, and supported the political status-quo – which in this case is the banding together of Britons during World War 2. Especially during this era, newsreels served the important purpose to keeping the public informed on what was happening and vital news, mixed with propagandist uplift to keep the general public morale up. Because these newsreels were geared towards the general public and cinema-goers, they tended to be slightly more light hearted, and were even sometimes criticised for trivialising the news.
In times of war, the manipulation of thought and emotion (propoganda) is considered essential to generate morale, commitment, unity, and focus within soldiers, their families, and the general public. An important thing to remember is that the war effort was not only limited to those fighting, but extended to people at home who did things like make weapons, send letters and care packages, ration their supplies, or support families while breadwinners fought on the fronts.
Though newsreels already existed prior to World War 2, they became much more relevant during the era of unrest. These newsreels demonstrate to us the impact of the war on cinema and the cinema going experience. The government capitalised on the already somewhat popular newsreels and turned them into tools of information to the public – turning the cinema experience into a necessary way to learn about current events.
We believe that in order to truly understand and better interpret these newsreels, we as film historians must have a better grasp on the actual socio-economic climate of the time, so that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the audience and experience the newsreels as they were meant to be.
This is a very informative and well-written blogpost that features thoughtful reflections on the role of the newsreel during WWII.
I have one question about your source to begin with, however: are you referring to Erwin F. Erhardt’s book on the newsreels as your title “War Aims for the Workforce: British Workers Newsreels during the Second World War” suggests? Or, are you referring to a specific collection of newsreels? If it’s the latter you need to specify date of release, company, director, etc. In either case, some images would clarify things further and supplement your analysis.
The above uncertainty aside, you demonstrate a firm grasp of the social and political function of newsreels and of their significance historically. Your likening newsreels to television is interesting but also begs some questions. How specifically are they alike? What properties do they share?
Context, as you point out is key with all historical study and this is especially evident during times of major upheaval. Have such considerations altered how you view the experience of cinemagoing?