Lunch hour at the Michael Colliery in Weymss, Scotland. This coal seam was discovered in the days of Queen Elizabeth I, when children hunting for birds eggs found an open vein along a cliff. Today, shafts extend far below the surface, and one main tunnel reaches more than two miles under the ocean's floor. Perhaps more than any other British group, miners have benefited from the legislation of recent years (Julien Bryan "black book" film guide) These six films were made in 1948, but with the vision to portray the forces still transforming British society. The people whose daily lives are shown represent this new and dynamic Britain, rejecting the traditional shackles of class, economic stagnation, and complacent attitudes. The whole series makes up what we believe is the only film portrait of Britain ever made from an American point of view. Photographed and directed by Kenneth Richter (1964 IFF catalog).

Edited Film