The COI Collection Volume Five: Portrait of a People

The fifth volume in the COI collection, Portrait of a People, proudly looks at Britain and its people. Promoting an idealised notion of Britain has often been at the forefront of COI film production: from encouraging immigration to redefining the nation, the titles in this collection are by turns affectionate, humorous, informative and stirring. Together they paint a fascinating and revealing portrait of a people. Highlights include: Come Saturday (1949), a lovingly-shot picture of the English at play; Oxford (1958), a look at the traditions and students of Oxford University; Dateline Britain: Look at London (1958), where Canadian-born actor and broadcaster Bernard Braden takes us on a tour of London; The Poet’s Eye (1964), how Britain and its people inspired Shakespeare; Opus (1967), Don Levy’s provocative look at what’s new and shocking in contemporary British art, fashion and design.

• Shown by Request (1947, 18 minutes): The work of the COI’s Central Film Library is explored.
• Fully illustrated booklet including comprehensive contextualising notes from academics and film historians. 
• Dolby Digital mono audio (320 kbps).