This film is part of Free
Modern Wales
A stirring hymn to Wales' postwar industrial renewal
Overview
The dragon rises in this stirring hymn to Wales' industrial renewal. From its pastoral roots through industrial expansion in coal, iron and steel to contemporary advancements in atomic energy, Wales' industrial achievements become a symbol for the success of Britain. This is one of hundreds of films sponsored by the Central Office of Information to promote Britain overseas and encourage international trade in the postwar era.
The interwar years saw a sharp decline in Wales' economy and by the end of WWII its once thriving export trade was moribund. But as the film shows, by broadening its base to incorporate lighter industries - starting with the formation of the Treforest Industrial Estate near Pontypridd, and the expansion into petrochemicals at Milford Haven - the people of Wales, "at once practical and imaginative, poetic and hard-headed", can enjoy prosperity anew.
Related
Rhondda and Wye Rhondda and Wye
School programme and Educational film 1948 20 mins Location: Builth Wells/Llanfair-Ym-Muallt
The clear waters of the River Wye and the rural areas it flows through offer a stark contrast to the industrialised Rhondda where the River Taff runs black with coal dust.
Wales Wales
School programme and Educational film 1957 15 mins Location: Llanberis
The effect of geography on the economy of Wales and the effect of tradition and culture on the Welsh people
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.