BBC - ‘One Pair of Eyes’ - Georgia Brown’s “Who Are the Cockneys Now?”, 1968

14 Mar

Georgia Brown’s “Who Are the Cockneys Now?”, 1968 - click above to see the film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7uW7koB7pw
Also, viewable at BBC online at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00t3mkz

"Who Are the Cockneys Now?" is a 1968 documentary from the BBC series One Pair of Eyes, featuring singer and actress Georgia Brown.

In this episode, Brown returns to her childhood neighborhood of Whitechapel in East London to explore how the area has changed since World War II. She specifically examines the decline of the once-dominant Jewish immigrant community and its relationship with the new wave of diverse immigrants.

Brown interviews several prominent figures who also grew up in the East End Jewish community:

Lionel Bart: Famous composer and creator of the musical Oliver!.
Vidal Sassoon: Renowned hairstylist.
Wolf Mankowitz: Prolific writer.
Tubby Isaacs: The owner of a legendary jellied eel stall.

Themes

Ethnic Harmony: Brown promotes a message of integration, drawing parallels between the anti-Jewish prejudice of the 1930s and contemporary 1960s anti-immigration sentiment.
Changing Landscapes: The film captures the physical decline and redevelopment of Whitechapel streets like Old Montague Street and Hessel Street.
Identity: Brown reflects on her own identity as a "Cockney" (born within the sound of Bow Bells) while questioning if the term still applies to the area's new residents.

More
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_London_Nobody_Knows
The Guardian: ‘The Naked City’ - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/nov/21/history
Darkestlondon.com - The London Nobody Knows – an interview with Brian Comport, May 4, 2011 - https://darkestlondon.com/tag/the-london-nobody-knows/