8mm Forum: The Green Girdle

This is topic The Green Girdle in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=001037

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 19, 2013, 04:10 AM:

"The Green Girdle" is not an item from Dorothy Perkins, it's an IB Technicolor film I recently bought. A 400' short made in 1941 by Ralph Keene for The British Council extolling the beauties of green land around London and more afar for the enjoyment of the great British public, and hoping that these areas of land would be kept like it forever.

So the name which we use so much these days Green Belt (land) has had a name-change over the years. It does sound better than its original name, after all, who's now heard of a girdle?

Posted by Paul Mason (Member # 4015) on November 19, 2013, 08:00 AM:

The term "Green Belt or Girdle" seems to have originated with the London County Council in 1935 but "Girdle" seems to have disappeared after 1947 when Green Belts were introduced around London and other cities.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 21, 2013, 09:45 AM:

This the BFI data-base reference:-
http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/15338?view=synopsis

Posted by Paul Mason (Member # 4015) on November 25, 2013, 04:01 AM:

A Technicolor documentary is indeed unusual for 1941. The photography is credited by the BFI to Jack Cardiff, famed for his later work for Michael Powell. I only know one other British colour wartime documentary "Western Approaches". Of course William Wyler and John Ford made "Memphis Belle" and "Battle of Midway" using 16mm Kodachrome.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 25, 2013, 05:15 AM:

"Steel" (1945) is another IB Technicolor documentary I have which was photographed by Jack Cardiff.
http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/21362

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on November 25, 2013, 06:10 AM:

Why not simply post the link to the film so that members can watch it themselves. One picture is worth a thousand words so the saying goes.

http://timeimage.wikispaces.com/Green+Girdle

Posted by Paul Mason (Member # 4015) on November 25, 2013, 07:34 AM:

Excellent link Robert. I notice from this that the British Council sponsored several Technicolor shorts during the war photographed by Jack Cardiff and Geoffrey Unsworth.

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on November 25, 2013, 09:01 AM:

I was surprised Paul, such a lot of big names involved in a 10 minute production.

Posted by Paul Mason (Member # 4015) on November 26, 2013, 03:26 AM:

Robert, Indeed. I believe Jack Cardiff started his career with the British subsidiary of Technicolor in the late 30s and there were only four Technicolor cameras in Britain during the war. I assume you hired both camera and their expert when using Technicolor.

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on November 26, 2013, 06:34 AM:

There has been an excellent documentary about Jack Cardiff on one of the Freesat channels, you might have seen it, or it might come around again.

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2