Harry Watt Films

Watt developed a unique form of story documentary whereby soundtrack commentary was abandoned and essential points were made by simple stories about ordinary events performed by real people. Together with Cavalcanti and Humphrey Jennings, Watt was the mainstay of the GPO Film Unit at the outbreak of war, producing the restrained, dispassionate m... show more >

Watt developed a unique form of story documentary whereby soundtrack commentary was abandoned and essential points were made by simple stories about ordinary events performed by real people. Together with Cavalcanti and Humphrey Jennings, Watt was the mainstay of the GPO Film Unit at the outbreak of war, producing the restrained, dispassionate material which would come to characterise British propaganda. The best examples of their work for the GPO include London Can Take It! and the powerful Target for Tonight which was the first British documentary to reach a wide audience in commercial cinemas. Watt achieved greater lasting success in the feature industry than most other British documentary directors. < show less