Basil Wright

Basil Wright

Basil Wright - was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher. During World War II, Wright worked only as a producer, first at John Grierson's Film Centre before joining The Crown Film Unit between 1945 and 1946 as producer-in-charge. Among the best known films he produced for Crown are Humphrey Jennings' A Diary for Timothy (1946) and A Defeated People (1946) and Instruments of the Orchestra (1946) featuring Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.[1] Returning to direction in the early 1950s, his films included Waters of Time (1951) made for the Festival of Britain, World Without End (1953) directed with Paul Rotha for UNESCO and Greece: The Immortal Land (1958) in collaboration with his friend the artist Michael Ayrton. Writing throughout the 30s and 40s, Basil Wright had contributed to the theoretical development of documentary in the movement's journals Cinema Quarterly, World Film News and Documentary Newsletter. He was the film critic for The Spectator after Graham Greene left. Wright was a regular contributor to the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound during the 1940s and '50s. He published a small book: The Uses of Film (1948) and his personal (extensive) history of cinema The Long View (1974). He taught at the University of Southern California (1962 and 1968), The National Film and Television School in London (1971–73) and Temple University in Philadelphia (1977–78). He was Governor of the British Film Institute, a fellow of the British Film Academy and President of the International Association of Documentary Filmmakers. In his films Wright combined an ability to look closely and carefully at a subject with a poetic and often experimental approach to editing and sound. In Britain he is commemorated with a film prize awarded biennially by the Royal Anthropological Institute.

  • Title: Basil Wright
  • Popularity: 0.137
  • Known For: Directing
  • Birthday: 1907-06-12
  • Place of Birth: Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Basil Charles Wright
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Basil Wright Movies

  • 1929
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    Every Day

    Every Day

    6.8 1929 HD

    Experimental documentary focusing on a day in the life of city workers, featuring montage sequences and repetition to emphasise the monotony of...

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  • 1974
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    Omnibus - Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy

    Omnibus - Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy

    1 1974 HD

    Narrated by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, this documentary about "Laurel and Hardy", one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double...

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  • 1934
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    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs

    Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs

    5 1934 HD

    The film, made to advertise domestic telephone sets, is based around two very different families. The Petts are conventional, happy and have...

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  • 1940
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    Men of Africa

    Men of Africa

    1 1940 HD

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  • 1953
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    The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

    The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

    1 1953 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Song of Ceylon

    The Song of Ceylon

    6.211 1934 HD

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  • 1945
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    A Diary for Timothy

    A Diary for Timothy

    6.6 1945 HD

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  • 1932
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    O'er Hill and Dale

    O'er Hill and Dale

    1 1932 HD

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  • 1938
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    The Face of Scotland

    The Face of Scotland

    7 1938 HD

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  • 1931
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    Industrial Britain

    Industrial Britain

    5.429 1931 HD

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  • 1939
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    The Rape of Czechoslovakia

    The Rape of Czechoslovakia

    1 1939 HD

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  • 1937
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    Children at School

    Children at School

    1 1937 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Song of Ceylon

    The Song of Ceylon

    6.211 1934 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Song of Ceylon

    The Song of Ceylon

    6.211 1934 HD

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  • 1946
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    It Might Be You

    It Might Be You

    1 1946 HD

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  • 1933
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    The Country Comes to Town

    The Country Comes to Town

    1 1933 HD

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  • 1941
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    The Green Girdle

    The Green Girdle

    1 1941 HD

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  • 1936
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    Night Mail

    Night Mail

    6.1 1936 HD

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  • 1936
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    Night Mail

    Night Mail

    6.1 1936 HD

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  • 1932
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    O'er Hill and Dale

    O'er Hill and Dale

    1 1932 HD

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  • 1935
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    Coal Face

    Coal Face

    6.1 1935 HD

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  • 1958
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    The Immortal Land

    The Immortal Land

    1 1958 HD

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  • 1958
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    The Immortal Land

    The Immortal Land

    1 1958 HD

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  • 1938
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    Advance Democracy!

    Advance Democracy!

    1 1938 HD

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  • 1951
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    Waters of Time

    Waters of Time

    1 1951 HD

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  • 1942
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    This Is Colour

    This Is Colour

    1 1942 HD

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  • 1937
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    Modern Orphans of the Storm: The Story of the Refugee Basque Children

    Modern Orphans of the Storm: The Story of the Refugee Basque Children

    1 1937 HD

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  • 1942
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    London Scrapbook

    London Scrapbook

    6 1942 HD

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  • 1945
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    The Channel Islands 1940-1945

    The Channel Islands 1940-1945

    4 1945 HD

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  • 1953
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    World Without End

    World Without End

    1 1953 HD

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