DVD Region 0 PAL. In the 1960s the British Government, through the Central Office of Information (COI), produced an unprecented number of films for overseas distribution. Essentially designed to promote British values abroad, the cinemagazine, a light magazine-style treatment of topical stories, had proved popular with cinema audiences since the 1920s and could now cross over between cinema and television for optimal distribution.
"Colour and action are the keynotes of the series." So ran Central Office of Information (COI) publicity for Roundabout (1962-1974), a monthly cinemagazine produced specifically for cinema distribution in South and South East Asia and issued in eight languages, including Burmese and Mandarin Chinese (sub-titled). Now these stunning short films not only reflect life in Britain in the 1960s, but how the British wished to be perceived.
This collection comprises:
Issue 20. January 1964. Sydney Harbour; Engineering Training College, Bhopal; Gearless Motor Scooter; Hendon Police College; Glyndebourne Opera.
Issue 27. August 1964. Singapore Happy Homes; Delhi Flower Show; English Steel Works; Blue Pullman Train; Lightning Fighter Jet.
Issue 36. May 1965. Princess Elizabeth Blind School, Malaysia; Save the Children Fund; Margot Fonteyn & Ballet School; Return of Burmese Regalia; Lord Mayor’s Show.
Issue 42. November 1965. Hong Kong Children; Oriental print typeface manufacture; Batik Artist; Leyland Motors; Britax Safety Belts.
Issue 43. December 1965. Rebuilding Sabah, Indonesia; Islamabad; Cumbernauld; Overseas visual aids centre; Kingston College of Art; Welsh ribbon and tinsel factory.
Issue 55. December 1966. BAC1-11 at Bangkok Airport; Deep Sea Divers Suit Factory; Expo ‘67 Montreal; Overseas journalists at Wimbledon; Beryl Grey Ballet School.
DIRECTOR: Rosanne Brownrigg
PRODUCER: Frances Cockburn
COMMENTARY: Brian Cobby, R Chillman, Barry Cookson
BBFC CERTIFICATE: Exempt
FORMAT: DVD PAL - All Regions - aspect ratio 1.33:1 - Technicolor
THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: 1964-1966
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 56 mins
