Historical information

A 1936 documentary film about a London Midland / Scottish Railways mail train.

Night Mail (1936) was one of the most critically acclaimed films to be produced within the British documentary film movement. It was also among the most commercially successful, and remains the film most commonly identified with the movement. The film was the product of collaborative, rather than individual authorship. Although it was primarily directed by Harry Watt, Basil Wright developed the script, and had overall production responsibility for the project. The resulting film was edited by Wright and Alberto Cavalcanti; John Grierson and Stuart Legg were also involved in its production. The music score was arranged by Benjamin Britten and Cavalcanti, and the rhyming verse used in the film - spoken by Pat Jackson - was written by W.H. Auden, who also acted as assistant director.

Physical description

A 16mm wide film with sprokets on one edge only, contained in a blue plastic spool box.

Inscriptions & markings

Post Office
Marketing Department
Publicity Diviision
Postal Headquarters
St Martins-le-Grand
London EC1A 1HQ
Films section
Title Night Mail 35/16mm safety film

stamped Waxed