‘New Towns For Old’, 1942

14 Mar

"New Towns for Old" (https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-new-towns-for-old-1942-online) is a 1942 British propaganda and public information short film that advocated for the post-World War II urban redevelopment of British cities. It was produced by the Ministry of Information and scripted by the poet Dylan Thomas.

The film was created during the darkest days of WWII to maintain morale on the Home Front and assure the public that efforts to improve housing and clear slums were ongoing, despite the war effort. It promoted the then-new concept of comprehensive town planning as part of a vision for a better post-war Britain, which would include improved housing, schools, hospitals, and green spaces.

• Setting: The film uses the city of Sheffield as the backdrop, portraying it as the fictional industrial "Everytown" called 'Smokedale'.

• Narrative: The story features two men, one with a southern accent and a bowler hat and the other with a Yorkshire accent and a pipe, who tour the industrial landscape and discuss the need for slum clearance and planned reconstruction.

• Message: It highlights pre-war slum clearance and emphasizes the importance of separating housing areas from industrial zones. The film concludes with one of the men pointing directly at the camera, telling the viewer, "They are, you are, you are the only folk that can make these plans come true... remember, it's your town," a direct call to public engagement in social change.

The film is considered an early statement of the need for urban regeneration that foreshadowed the landmark New Towns Act of 1946, which established an ambitious programme for building new, planned communities across Britain.

See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Towns_for_Old