Intended for African audiences, the films shows the opening of the African Conference in London in September 1948 and the ...
Empire in Britain
In the rhetoric of Empire, Great Britain was the ‘Mother Country’: the ideological, economic and geographical reference point against which life in the colonies was to be measured. Many of these films attempt to show British life to colonial audiences, and often use the device of positioning a colonial subject in Britain. The visitor often plays the role of either a spellbound tourist made welcome in the heart of Empire, or alternatively as an Imperial citizen, warmly embraced within British society. Wartime films typically highlight the contribution made by colonial subjects to the war effort in Britain, and whether they are for British or colonial audiences, these pictures too hope to present the metropole as a welcoming place that appreciates and accepts the people of the Empire.
The Colonial Film website is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and features films from the British Film Institute, the Imperial War Museum, and the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum.
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