A Day in the Life: Four Portraits of Post-War Britain by John Krish

(UK 1953-64 | 92mins)

A key figure in post-war documentary, John Krish made films notable for their clarity of purpose and an understated, unsentimental but profoundly engaged humanism. This selection of four of his finest achievements finds him dealing with a Britain in transition. The Elephant Will Never Forget (1953, 10min) bids farewell to a way of life represented by London’s trams; They Took Us to the Sea (1961, 26min) and Our School (1962, 28min) look at the opportunities offered, respectively, to young children and school-leavers by a nation slowly emerging from years of austerity; while I Think They Call Him John (1964, 28min) is a deeply affecting account of the decidedly un-swinging life of an elderly widower. Poignant, to the point and still all too relevant.
- Geoff Andrew

Winner of the Evening Standard award for Best Documentary Release of 2010.

John Krish on YouTube
Watch an extract from Our School (1962)
John Krish talks about The Elephant Will Never Forget (1953)