Night Mail (GPO Film Unit, 1936)
What is the film about? Who are the main participants and what happens to them?
The short documentary film is about the workings of the nightly postal train that travels down to London and then out again all the way to Aberdeen. It begins with the collecting on the post in the midlands in the commonly known postal vans during the day, which is collected using a pulley and net type contraption that hangs from the platform and is collected into the train. It is then sorted in London and sent back up north to b redistributed. The train continues up into the Scottish highlands, and it’s towards the end of the documentary we hear the iconic poem by W.H.Auden over the extreme wide shots of the train in the hills. The film ends with the post followed from the start being dispatched from the train at Aberdeen station.
Who made the film? Does the film hold a significant place in film history?
The film is directed by Scottish documentary film maker Harry Watt and produced/written by filmmaker Basil Wright. It was commissioned and funded by the GPO (general post office) film unit, and the iconic poem was written by W.H.Auden. The purpose of the film was to share the efficiency of the postal service, but also to increase morale for the workers after union strikes and the Great Depression. This documentary holds a significant place in history as the poem has inspired pop culture since its first screening in the Cambridge Arts Theatre.
How is the subject framed? Do the filmmakers use any interesting techniques to convey information to the audience? How is the film structured?
The narrative flits between focusing on the train and the incredible technology of the modernised postal system, and the hardworking people behind the scenes that keep the service running smoothly and efficiently. The film is structured linearly, but the focus changes throughout depending on the stage of the process. The most interesting technique to convey information is clearly the poem that explains the working of the night mail train- layered non diegetically over an extreme wide shot of the train travelling through the Scottish highlands.
To what extent is the film a notable example of the "mode" you have identified above?
This film is an example of Bill Nichol’s poetic mode as it quite literally contains a non-diegetic narrated poem to the rhythmic sound of the train. However, the start of the documentary felt far more observational or expository due to the narration explaining the events on screen.
What was your personal reaction to the film? Which sequences were particularly effective or enjoyable? What do you think the filmmakers wanted to say?
Nigh Mail was a purposeful and entertaining documentary film, and though the dialogue of the workers was very clearly set up it was refreshing to see a positive and appreciative view the GPO had of its northern working class employees. The filmmakers simply wanted to brag about the efficiency and quality of the UK’s postal system (which is difficult to be said today…)