This film is part of Free
People Will Always Need Coal
Deliriously kitsch recruitment ad for the implausibly glamorous world of coalmining.
Overview
This outrageously OTT recruitment ad for South Wales miners is an unexpected delight. In a pitch apparently designed to outdo contemporary army recruitment films, the ad promises a non-stop world of macho glamour, fun (Rock'n'Roll! Skiing! Guns! Squash!), romance and sex. And there's a song, too: "Hey there, miner / Living life the way you want to be / C'mon now, miner / There's money - lots of money and security". The film appears to date from around 1975; in less than a decade, that confident promise of security would have a hollow ring.
Though the film was certainly sponsored by the National Coal Board, it seems unlikely to have been made by the NCB's in-house film unit - which may or may not have taken a less exaggerated approach, but would surely have preferred to use at least some moving image, rather than just a montage of stills enlivened by swift cutting and dynamic rostrum work.
Related
Miner Miner
Documentary 1950 36 mins Silent Location: Featherstone
Absorbing overview of coalmining in the early years of nationalisation.
Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1964 2 mins
Miners' safety training - marked by stylish animation and gallows humour.
Energy Energy
Advert 1935 42 mins Silent Location: Cardiff/Caerdydd
Coal, between the world wars, makes the industrialised world go round and Cory Bros & Co Ltd, with collieries in south Wales and oil refineries across the globe, is a major player.
Big Pit Big Pit
Industry sponsored film 1978 7 mins Location: Blaenavon
Memories of Blaenavon Colliery, Monmouthshire, as it nears its end.
Guilty Chimneys Guilty Chimneys
Documentary 1954 18 mins
Elegiac sponsored film imploring viewers to "allow the sun to penetrate the haze of ignorance" and relieve British cities of pollution.
Adventure of Coal Adventure of Coal
Promotional 1947 10 mins
"Coalmining is now the greatest adventure of all time" according to this recruitment film.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
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.