John Grierson (April 26, 1898 - February 19, 1972) is often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Documentary film is a broad category of cinematic expression united by the intent to remain factual or non-fictional. ...

Early Life

Grierson was born in Deanston, Scotland. His father was the local school master, his mother an early feminist and ardent labor activist. From an early age, both parents steeped their son in liberal politics, humanistic ideals, and Calvinist moral and religious philosophies, particularly the notion that education was essential to individual freedom and that hard and meaningful work was the way to prove oneself worth in the sight of God. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... Humanism is a system of thought that defines a socio-political doctrine (-ism) whose bounds exceed those of locally developed cultures, to include all of humanity and all issues common to human beings. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ...

After a stint working on minesweepers in the Royal Navy during World War I, Grierson entered Glasgow University, where he spent a good part of his academic career enmeshed in impassioned political discussion and leftist political activism. USS Pivot (AM 276) World War II United States Admirable Class Minesweeper shown in the Gulf of Mexico on sea trials 12 July 1944 Image:Hameln Class. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... The University of Glasgow is the largest of the three universities in Glasgow, Scotland. ...

In 1924, after graduating from the university in moral philosophy, he received a Rockefeller Research Fellowship to study in the US at the University of Chicago, and later at Columbia and the University of Wisconsin. His research focus was the psychology of propaganda--the impact of the press, film, and other mass media on forming public opinion. Grierson was particularly interested in the popular appeal and influence of the "yellow' (tabloid) press, and the influence and role of these journals on the education of new American citizens from abroad. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The word Usa has more than one meaning: U.S.A. - The United States of America The United States Army Usa, Oita - A city in Japan The USA cable network USA Today national daily newspaper The University of Southern Alabama goes by the initials U.S.A. The patriotic cheer... The University of Chicago is a private co-educational university located in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1890, doors opened in 1892. ... The University of Wisconsin was founded in 1848 and is the largest university in the state of Wisconsin. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of mind and behavior. ... North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ...

Social Critic

Like a number of other social critics of the time, Grierson was profoundly concerned about what he perceived to be clear threats to democracy. In the US, he encountered a marked tendency toward political reaction, anti-democratic sentiments, and political apathy. He read and agreed with the journalist and political philosopher Walter Lippman's book Public Opinion which blamed the erosion of democracy in part on the fact that the political and social complexities of contemporary society made it difficult if not impossible for the public to comprehend and respond to issues vital to the maintenance of democratic society. Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 - December 14, 1974), was an influential United States writer, journalist, and political commentator. ...

In Grierson's view, a way to counter these problems was to involve citizens in their government with the kind of engaging excitement generated by the popular press, which simplified and dramatized public affair. It was during this time that Grierson developed a conviction that motion pictures could play a central role in promoting this process. (It has been suggested some of Grierson's notions regarding the social and political uses of film were influenced by reading Lenin's's writing about film as education and propaganda.) For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин â–¶ (help· info)), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) (April 22 (April 10 (O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Communist revolutionary of Russia, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the main theorist of Leninism, which he described as an adaptation...

Grierson's emerging view of film was as a form of social and political communication--a mechanism for social reform, education, and perhaps spiritual uplift. His view of Hollywood movie-making was considerably less sanguine: ...

"In an age when the faiths, the loyalties, and the purposes have been more than usually undermined, mental fatigue--or is it spiritual fatigue?--represents a large factor in everyday experience. Our cinema magnate does no more than exploit the occasion. He also, more or less frankly, is a dope pedlar."

Film critic

Grierson's emerging and outspoken film philosophies caught the attention of New York film critics at the time. He was asked to write criticism for the New York Sun. At the Sun, Grierson wrote articles on film aesthetics and audience reception, and developed broad contacts in the film world. In the course of this writing stint, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in writing about Robert Flaherty's film Moana (NY Sun, February 8, 1926: "Of course Moana, being a visual account of events in the daily life of a Polynesian youth and his family, has documentary value"). The construction of the Empire State Building, 1930. ... The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published at New York City which debuted April 16, 2002. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

During this time, Grierson was also involved in scrutinizing the film industries of other countries. He was involved in arranging to bring Sergei Eisenstein's groundbreaking film The Battleship Potemkin to US audience for the fist time. Eisenstein's editing techniques and film theories, particularly the use of montage, would have a significant influence on Grierson's own work. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For the real-life battleship, see Russian battleship Potemkin The Battleship Potemkin or Battleship Potemkin (Russian: Броненосец «Потёмкин», Bronenosets Potyomkin), sometimes The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. ...

Filmmaker

Grierson returned to Great Britain in the late 1920s armed with the sense that film could be enlisted to deal with the problems of the Great Depression, and to build national morale and national consensus. Filmmaking for Grierson was an exalted calling; the Filmmaker a patriot. In all of this there was more than a little elitism, a stance reflected in Grierson's many dicta of the time: "The elect have their duty." "I look on cinema as a pulpit, and use it as a propagandist." Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America and in Australia as the Roaring Twenties . In Europe it is sometimes refered to as the Golden Twenties. ... This article deals with the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s on the United Kingdom. ...

In the US Grierson had met pioneering documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty. Grierson respected Flaherty immensely for his contributions to documentary form and his attempts to use the camera to bring alive the lives of everyday people and everyday events. Less commendable in Grierson's view was Flaherty's focus on exotic and faraway cultures. ("In the profounder kind of way," wrote Grierson of Flaherty, "we live and prosper each of us by denouncing the other"). In Grierson's view, the focus of film should be on the everyday drama of ordinary people. As Grierson wrote in his diaries: "Beware the ends of the earth and the exotic: the drama is on your doorstep wherever the slums; are, wherever there is malnutrition, wherever there is exploitation and cruelty." "'You keep your savages in the far place Bob; we are going after the savages of Birmingham,' I think I said to him pretty early on. And we did.") Robert Joseph Flaherty (February 16, 1884, Iron Mountain, Michigan, United States - July 23, 1951, Dummerston, Vermont) was a filmmaker who directed and produced the first feature length documentary (Nanook of the North) in 1922. ...

On his return to England, Grierson joined the Empire Marketing Board (EMB), a governmental agency which had been established several years earlier to promote British world trade and British unity throughout the empire. One of the major functions of the EMB was publicity, which the Board accomplished thru exhibits, posters, and publications. In 1930 Grierson convinced government funding agencies to establish a film unit within the EMB and to assign him the directorship of the unit. It was within the context of this State funded organization that the "documentary" as we know it today really got its start. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 by the Colonial Secretary Leo Amery to promote inter-Empire trade and to persuade consumers to Buy Empire. Amery was its first Chairman, Sir Stephen George Tallents was its Secretary, Edward Mayow Hastings Lloyd was Assistant Secretary, Walter Elliot was its... The British Empire was the largest empire in history. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

In late 1929 Grierson and his cameraman, Basil Emmott, completed his first film, The Drifters, which he wrote, produced and directed. The film, which follows the heroic work of North Sea herring fishermen, was a radical departure from anything being made by the British film industry or Hollywood. A large part of its innovation lie in the fierce boldness in bringing the camera to rugged locations such as a small boat in the middle of a gale, and leave relatively less of the action staged. The choice of topic was chosen less from Grierson's curiosity than the fact that he discovered the Financial Secretary had made the herring industry his hobbyhorse. It premiered in London on a double-bill with Eisenstein's then controversial film The Battleship Potemkin, and received high praise from both its sponsors and the press.-1... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Family Clupeidae This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Categories: Stub ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For the real-life battleship, see Russian battleship Potemkin The Battleship Potemkin or Battleship Potemkin (Russian: Броненосец «Потёмкин», Bronenosets Potyomkin), sometimes The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. ...

After this success, Grierson moved away from film direction into more production and administration within the EMB. He became a tireless organizer and recruiter for the EMB, enlisting a stable of energetic young filmmakers into the film unit between 1930 and 1933. Those enlisted included filmmakers Basil Wright, Edgar Anstey, Stuart Legg, Paul Rotha, Arthur Elton, Humphrey Jennings, Harry Watt, and Alberto Cavalcanti. This group formed the core of what was to become known as The British Documentary Movement. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Paul Rotha (*June 3th, 1907- March 7th 1984) was a socialist british film maker and film historian. ... Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton (10 February 1906 - 1 January 1973) was the 10th Baronet Elton, and a pioneer of the British documentary film industry. ... Humphrey Jennings, (August 19, 1907 Walberswick, Suffolk - September 24, 1950 Greece), was a British film-maker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organisation. ...

In 1933 the EMB Film Unit was disbanded, a casualty of Depression era economics. Grierson's boss at the EMB moved to the General Post Office (GPO) as its first public relations officer with the stipulation that he could bring the EMB film unit with him. Grierson's crew were charged with demonstrating the ways in which the Post Office facilitated modern communication and brought the nation together, a task aimed as much at GPO workers as the general public. During Grierson's administration, the GPO Film Unit produced a series of groundbreaking films, including Night Mail (dir. Basil Wright and Harry Watt, 1936), and Coal Face (dir. Alberto Cavalcanti, 1936). 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The British General Post Office (GPO) was officially established in 1660 by Charles II and it eventually grew to combine the functions of both the state postal system and telecommunications carrier. ... The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. ... This article needs cleanup. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Grierson eventually grew restless with having to work within the bureaucratic and budgetary confines of government sponsorship. In response, he sought out private industry sponsorship for film production. He was finally successful in getting the British gas industry to underwrite an annual film program. Perhaps the most significant works produced during this time were Housing Problems (dir. Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, John Taylor, and Grierson's sister Ruby Grierson, 1935) and Song of Ceylon (dir. Basil Wright, 1935) 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1938, Grierson was invited by the Canadian government to study the country's film production. He proposed the government create a national coordinating body for the production of films. In 1939, Canada created the National Film Commission, which would later become the National Film Board of Canada. Grierson was the first Commissioner of the Board. When Canada entered World War II in 1939, the NFB focused on the production of propaganda films, many of which Grierson directed. After the war, it focused on producing documentaries that reflected the lives of Canadians. The NFB is recognized around the world for producing quality films, many of which have won Academy Awards.-1... System of government Canada is a constitutional monarchy as a Commonwealth Realm (see Monarchy in Canada) with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is a Canadian public filmmaking organization established to produce and distribute films that inform Canadians and promote Canada around the world. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

From 1957 to 1967 Grierson hosted a successful weekly television program on Scottish television, This Wonderful World, which showed excerpts from outstanding documentaries. In 1957 he received a special Canadian Film Award. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1979. ...

Filmography

Filmography as director:

• Drifters (1929; first screened at the British premiere of Battleship Potemkin)
• Granton Trawler (1934)

Filmography as producer/creative contributor: This article is about the American band. ... -1... For the battleship, see Russian battleship Potemkin article Броненосец Потемкин (1925) (variously Bronenosec Potemkin, Battleship Potemkin, Battleship Potyomkin and The Battleship Potemkin) is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

• O'er Hll and Dale (dir. Basis Wright 1932)
• Cargo from Jamaica (dir. Basil Wright 1933)
• Industrial Britain (dir. Robert Flaherty 1933)
• Cable Ship (dir. (Alexander Shaw and Stuart Legg 1933)
• Coming of the Dial (dir. Stuart Legg 1933)
• Liner Cruising South (dir. Basil Wright 1933)
• Man of Aran (dir. Robert Flaherty 1934)
• New Operator (dir. Stuart Legg 1934)
• Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs (dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1934)
• Post Haste (dir. Humphrey Jennings 1934)
• Spring Comes to England dir. Donald Taylor 1934)
• Six-thirty Collection (dir. Harry Watt and Edgar Anstey 1934)
• Song of Ceylon (dir. Basil Wright 1934)
• BBC: The Voice of Britain (dir. Stuart Legg 1935)
• A Colour Box (dir. Len Lye 1935)
• Housing Problems (dir. Edgar Anstey, Arthur Elton 1935)
• Introducing the Dial (dir. Stuart Legg 1935)
• Coal Face (dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1935)
• B.B.C. Droitwich (dir. Harry Watt 1935)
• Night Mail ( dir. (Basil Wright, and Harry Watt 1936)
• Saving of Bill Blewitt (dir. Basil Wright 1936)
• Line To The Tschierva Hut (dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1937)
• Children At School (dir. Basil Wright 1937)
• We Live In Two Worlds (dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1937)
• Daily Round (dir. Richard Massingham, Karl Urbahn 1937)
• Trade Tattoo (dir. Len Lye 1937)
• The Face of Scotland (dir. Basil Wright 1938)
• The Londoners (dir. John Taylor 1939)
• Judgement Deferred (dir. John Baxter 1951)
• Brandy for the Parson (dir. John Eldridge 1952)
• The Brave Don't Cry (dir. Philip Leacock 1952)
• Miss Robin Hood (dir. John Guillermin 1952)
• Time Gentlemen Please! (dir. Lewis Gilbert 1952)
• You're Only Young Twice (dir. Terry Bishop 1952)
• Man of Africa (dir. Cyril Frankel 1953)
• Background (dir. Daniel Birt 1953)
• Laxdale Hall (dir. John Eldridge 1953)
• The Oracle (dir. C.M. Pennington-Richards 1953)
• Child's Play (dir. Margaret Thomson 1954)
• Devil on Horseback (dir. Cyril Frankel 1954)
• Seawards the Great Ships (dir. Hilary Harris 1960)
• The Heart of Scotland (dir. Laurence Henson 1961)
• The Creative Process (dir. Donald McWilliams 1961)

Robert Joseph Flaherty (February 16, 1884, Iron Mountain, Michigan, United States - July 23, 1951, Dummerston, Vermont) was a filmmaker who directed and produced the first feature length documentary (Nanook of the North) in 1922. ... Man Of Aran is a documentary film on life on the Aran Islands by Robert J. Flaherty (1934). ... Robert Joseph Flaherty (February 16, 1884, Iron Mountain, Michigan, United States - July 23, 1951, Dummerston, Vermont) was a filmmaker who directed and produced the first feature length documentary (Nanook of the North) in 1922. ... Humphrey Jennings, (August 19, 1907 Walberswick, Suffolk - September 24, 1950 Greece), was a British film-maker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organisation. ... There are several people of note by the name Don Taylor or Donald Taylor known for achievements in various fields. ... Len Lye, born Leonard Charles Huia Lye (July 5, 1901 - May 15, 1980), was a New Zealand sculptor, artist, writer and film-maker. ... Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton (10 February 1906 - 1 January 1973) was the 10th Baronet Elton, and a pioneer of the British documentary film industry. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Len Lye, born Leonard Charles Huia Lye (July 5, 1901 - May 15, 1980), was a New Zealand sculptor, artist, writer and film-maker. ... John Taylor is a very common name in English-speaking countries. ... John Babington Macaulay Baxter (February 16, 1868-December 27, 1946) was a New Brunswick jurist and politician. ... John Eldridge (1873 — April 17, 1954), Australian politician, was the Member for the Division of Martin in the Australian House of Representatives from October 12, 1929 to December 19, 1931. ... Unlike his brother, the documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock filmmaker Philip Leacock (*8 October 1917 in London - 1990) spent his childhood in the Canary Islands. ... Miss Robin Hood was a 1952 British film directed by John Guillermin. ... John Guillermin (born on November 11, 1925 in London, England), is a film director, writer, and producer who was most active in big budget, action adventure movies throughout his lengthy career. ... Lewis Gilbert (born March 6, 1920) is a British film director born in London, England. ... The term background can have any of the following meanings: Background (computer software) refers to software that is running, but not being displayed. ... John Eldridge (1873 — April 17, 1954), Australian politician, was the Member for the Division of Martin in the Australian House of Representatives from October 12, 1929 to December 19, 1931. ... The Oracle could refer to: The Oracle - a character in the Matrix trilogy. ... Childs Play is a 1988 horror film, written by Don Mancini and directed by Tom Holland. ...

Bibliographies

Grierson Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)

Documentaries About Grierson

Grierson.[1] Produced and directed by Roger Blais. Montreal, Que.: National Film Board of Canada, c1973. 59 min. Roger A. Blais (born February 4, 1926) is a Canadian geological engineer and academic. ... The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is a Canadian public filmmaking organization established to produce and distribute films that inform Canadians and promote Canada around the world. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Sources

• Canada's Awards Database

• Credits from: British Film Institute Catalog (Film Index International)

External links

• John Grierson in South Africa: Afrikaaner nationalism and the National Film Board
• John Grierson's NFB biography