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Coal Face

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Coal Face - 1935 | 12 mins | Documentary | B&W

The Production Team

Director: Alberto Cavalcanti.
Producer: John Grierson.
Cinematography: Stuart Legg and Basil Wright.
Music: Benjamin Britten.
Commentary: W.H. Auden.

The Cast

Plot Synopsis

One of several Grierson/Cavalcanti documentaries noted for the use of music by the renowned conductor/composer Benjamin Britten. Regarded as an experiment in sound by the GPO, this impressive short film portrayed dramatic images of heroic coal miners set against the crisp narrative written by poet W.H. Auden and Britten’s music. The film described the brutality of conditions experienced by the coal mining community in Wales.