Night Mail

Night Mail is a short British documentary by Harry Watt and Basil Wright from the year 1936. Considered because of its combination of realism and cinematic aesthetics as a Gesamtkunstwerk of image and sound and the specially composed for the film music and a poem.

Content

The film shows the journey of the night Postzugs the London, Midland and Scottish Railway from London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. He leaves London 20.30 clock and is staffed with 40 employees post. It is represented at the post office distribution of the sequence of work. At a railway crossing mailbags are applied to the north and by trains from western and southwestern parts of the country yet. The sorting is done then the train.

The main focus is on the modern technology of the train. On the route is unloaded at various regional stations in a moving train by means of mechanical devices of fishing nets Post and collected more post. In the morning, the train arrives Scotland.

Background

Night Mail was produced by the film department of the General Post Office (GPO Film Unit ). The English poet WH Auden wrote the poem "Night Mail" and the composer Benjamin Britten wrote a music specifically to the nearly 24 -minute short film. The poem spoken by Pat Jackson towards the end of the film when driving through the Scottish hills is recited in the monotonous rhythm of a moving train and increases from slow tempo to faster tale of then end in quiet speed. Auden's verse and Britten's music are laid over a montage of railway wheels, tracks and fleeing animals. Alberto Cavalcanti, who was responsible as a sound engineer for the use and design of the sound, also took on, along with Basil Wright film editing.

Night Mail was one of the biggest critics of successes among the works of the British documentary movement and also commercially successful. His notoriety status meant that he was still in use in the 1980s as inspiration for an advertisement of the British railways. On the 50th anniversary of the film is a remake with a poem by Blake Morrison was born.