A Day in the Life

Four films by documentary filmmaker John Krish, who turned his work for sponsors such as the Central Office of Information and the NSPCC into truly stirring cinema.

John Krish is one of British cinema’s best-kept secrets: a master of post-war documentary filmmaking who repeatedly turned his works for sponsors as diverse at the Central Office of Information (COI) and the NSPCC into not just effective non-fiction films, but truly stirring cinema to rank alongside the world’s greatest directors. A Day in the Life collects together four of his most cherished films: The Elephant Will Never Forget (1953), a farewell to London’s trams; Our School (1962), charting the beliefs of educators, and the aspirations of the decade’s young school-leavers; They Took Us to the Sea (1961), a poignant record of a seaside outing for disadvantaged children; and I Think They Call Him John (1964), a deeply moving account of an elderly widower. In each of these films – richly textured with the details of everyday post-war life – Krish combines a deep belief in human beings with a compulsive desire to push the documentary form forward. This essential and critically acclaimed collection is supplemented by an interview with Krish, as well as with Krish’s rarely seen films I Want to Go to School (1959) and Mr Marsh Comes to School.

Special features

  • I Want to Go to School (1959, 30 minutes): a charming portrait of a typical day at a primary school.
  • Mr Marsh Comes to School (1961, 28 minutes): a distinctly unorthodox film for teenagers, featuring a supernaturally talented Youth Employment Officer.
  • Interview with John Krish (2010, 19 minutes, DVD only): on-stage interview at BFI Southbank
  • Illustrated booklet with notes and essays by Kevin Brownlow, John Krish, BFI curator Patrick Russell and others.

Product information

    • Certificate

      Exempt

    • Colour

      Black/white

    • Sound

      Sound

    • Running time

      90mins

    • Original aspect ratio

      1.33:1

    • DVD region

      • 2 Europe (except Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus), Middle East, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Greenland, French Overseas departments and territories

    • Blu-ray region

      • B - Includes most European and Middle-Eastern countries, all of Africa, Australia and New Zealand

    • Catalogue number

      BFIB1097

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