Leslie Hardcastle

A Diary for Timothy

Snapshot of Great Britain near the end of the Second World War.

Having been involved with the BFI for sixty years and privileged to have seen many of the masterpieces of world cinema I find it impossible to single one out. So if it were possible I would have taken the liberty of choosing a double bill with a short in support, a programme which reflects the importance of film as a record of contemporary history and society attitudes. Both features This Happy Breed and In Which We Serve are the work of David Lean. The short, A Diary for Timothy, was directed by Humphrey Jennings. All three films were produced in the 1940s at a time when there truly was a British Film Industry, which originated a steady flow of films like these on tiny budgets. The collective credit titles of these three films is an amazing record of the talented film makers and actors working in British film at the time. If within the rubric of the power of film to capture a moment in history I have to choose one of these three films, then it must be A Diary for Timothy, reflecting the great contribution to cinema of British documentary film makers. I would want future generations to witness how this remarkable British director used moving images brilliantly to record the spirit of Britain at a particular time in history.

What excites me about the future of the moving image is its history, for ever since the days of the Chinese shadow plays to the digitally produced images of the 21st century mankind has attempted to use moving images to communicate. From that very first film show in Paris in 1895 and the moment that the Lumiere brothers projected the image of a train coming into a station at speed – causing part of the audience to jump out of their seats – the magic and power of moving images became evident and I see no reason to think that this will ever change. The way moving images are technically created and projected will alter and the introduction of the third dimension, virtual reality, audience involvement and interaction, may become commonplace. It will however continue to rely on the creativity and imagination of the world’s film makers to use any new technology to serve their purpose. The way we personally access moving images will certainly change, however I believe people will never tire of viewing moving images on a large screen in the company of an audience. In China at this very moment a multi million audience is engaged in watching a film….. India still produces more moving images than Hollywood. I am excited by the fact that countries with little or no film tradition are making films that can be understood and appreciated world-wide. I am excited that film is the art form of the 20th and 21st centuries and that it possesses an international language that transcends borders.