Visions of Change
The Evolution of the British TV Documentary
Volume 1: BBC 1951-1967
After the
Land of Promise and
Shadows of Progress DVD box sets, the BFI continues its re-evaluation of the British documentary tradition with
Visions of Change, an extensive collection of television films made during the 1950s and 1960s, released on 14 December 2015.
Produced by the BBC, these now rarely-seen documentaries reveal how the medium of television allowed filmmakers to approach their subjects in new and exciting ways, creating work which was deeply personal, socially engaged and formally innovative.
Covering a range of topics, and including films by such influential directors as Denis Mitchell, Philip Donnellan, Ken Russell, Dennis Potter and John Schlesinger,
Visions of Change provides a fascinating insight into the socio-cultural landscape of two of the most formative decades in the history of post-war Britain.
The programme makers were inspired by the changing face of city streets to capture portraits of life in Britain in different ways, while arts and sciences provided the subject matter for an explosion of factual series in a time of social, cultural and technological upheaval. These programmes were watched by millions of people and made household names of their filmmakers and presenters.
This 2-disc set collects together over 6 hours of material and will appeal as much to anyone with an interest in British social history and 50s/60s culture as to those with an interest in the history of television itself.
Disc One
•
Henry Moore (1951, John Read)
•
Eye to Eye: Night in the City (1957, Denis Mitchell)
•
Tonight: Song of the Valley (1957, John Schlesinger)
•
Joe the Chainsmith (1958, Philip Donnellan)
•
Eye on Research: Test Flight (1959, Philip Daly, Tom Millett)
•
Morning in the Streets (1959, Denis Mitchell, Roy Harris)
•
Between Two Rivers (1960, Dennis Potter)
Disc Two
•
Monitor: Pop Goes the Easel (1962, Ken Russell)
•
The Colony (1964, Philip Donnellan)
•
Dispute: Round 1 (1967, Jack Gold, Ken Ashton, Paul Watson)
•
Dispute: Round 2 (1967, Jack Gold, Ken Ashton, Paul Watson)
Product details
RRP: £34.99/ Cat. no. BFIV2068 / Cert E
UK / 1951 – 1967 / black and white / English language, with hard-of-hearing subtitles / DVD9 x 2 / 182 mins + 200 mins / Ratio 1.33:1 / Dolby Digital audio (192kbps)