This welcome 2-disc retrospective showcases the work of one of Britain's foremost female documentarians, Kay Mander, containing 10 of her 1940s films along with Adele Carroll's feature-length profile.
A prolific contributor to documentary filmmaking in 1940s Britain, Kay Mander has not yet received her due. This retrospective, comprising 10 of her films, made between 1940-48, along with Adele Carroll’s 2001 portrait of the filmmaker, One Continuous Take, which includes clips from many of her films along with Mander recalling her life and work, at last begins to put this right.
The collection showcases her diverse approach to filmmaking, taking in drama-documentaries, such as Highland Doctor (1943), about the government subsidised Highland and Islands Medical Service, exemplary training and instructional films – of which even unpromising titles such as Debris Tunnelling (1943) or How to File (1941) reveal her innovative approach – as well as important social documents, such as Homes for the People, a film made for the 1945 Labour Party campaign, in which women opened up to Mander as a female filmmaker regarding the housing problems they faced.
A 2-disc retrospective of the work of innovative documentarian Kay Mander, which also includes Dr. Adele Carroll's 2001 film 'One Continuous Take' featuring Kay Mander, now living in Kirkcudbrightshire, recalling her life and work, with clips from many of her films.
Kay Mander at War: Transfer of Skill (1940) - Craftsman can be retrained for wartime work, for example, jewellers produce gauges used to measure tank parts; How to File (1941) - A training film for metalwork apprentices; Mobilising Procedure (1942) - Procedures for the National Fire Service to direct the deployment of all Britain's fire-fighting equipment; Model Procedure for Water-Relaying (1943) - Demonstration of setting up relays of fire hoses to feed emergency water supplies; Debris Tunnelling (1943) - How a rescue party could drive a horizontal tunnel into a collapsed building.
Kay Mander on Social Matters: Highland Doctor (1943) - About the life of a doctor in the Outer Hebrides and the facilities of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service; New Builders (1944) - New secondary schools are being set up to train youngsters in building work for post-war reconstruction; Penicillin (1944) - The search for a cure for gas gangrene, which killed so many in the First World War, resulting in the discovery of Penicillin; Homes for the People (1945) - Made by the Daily Herald to expose poor housing conditions throughout Britain; A Plan to Work On (1948) - The growth of Dunfermline is explored, and the architect describes schemes for the changes of the future.
