From Town Hall to Cinema: Documentary Film as Planning Propaganda in Post-war Britain

Change and renewal have been central tenets of modern planning since its creation over 100 years ago. But change is also accompanied by uncertainty and scepticism about the future. In the post-war era, the public was as much concerned about the eects of war and its aftermath as about how new development was removing familiar scenes. While change and renewal occurred, the British documentary lm movement embraced modernity wholeheartedly. A radical political period, alongside economic recovery, scientic and technological discovery, cultural innovation and rapid urbanization, created signicantly dierent social and political conditions and the movement sought to contribute democratically to social reform and national renewal by creating new communication media that reected new Britain. Town planning was integral to this purpose.