Religion and the People (1940)
This short documentary illustrates the centrality of religion in British life in 1940. With the social marginalisation of religion since the 60s, the film provides solid evidence of a time when faith lay at the very heart of the British experience. The film not only examines a broad range of Christian denominations but also includes an illuminating sequence on East End Jewish life.
We see Miriam Moses, one time mayor of Stepney, educating young Jews as the narrator assures us that "the lot of Jewish children in this country is very different from that in lands where they are mocked and victimised from their earliest years". The film was made two years before the Nazis began their Final Solution.
Director: Andrew Buchanan
Duration: 14 minutes
Suggested credit: Religion and the People (1940) © The British Film Institute