EIGHT rarely seen short public information films from the pre-war and early Second World War era introduced by Michael Brooke of the BFI who will explain how tranquillity turned to optimism and then high alert as the nation readied itself for war.

• If War Should Come (1939): Britain hears the alien sound of the air raid siren and shows how to build an air raid shelter.

• The First Days (1939): London prepares for war with barrage balloons in the air and Big Ben defiant behind barbed wire.

• Britain at Bay (1939): Narrated by JB Priestley with iconic shots of the White Cliffs of Dover and Parliament, it evokes the spirit of national pride in our home country.

• War Library 1, 2 and 3 (1939): Produced by the GPO and dedicated to showing how the emergency services, hospitals and fire stations were preparing for war.

• Spare Time (1939): A mini masterpiece that explores what the workforce does in its spare time, from singing to amateur dramatics and pigeon racing.

• Sam Goes Shopping (1939): Narrated by Stanley Holloway, it’s an advert for the Co-Op and its helpful staff. Terry Thomas appears as the difficult customer.

• English Harvest (1938): A view of long-lost rural England with horse-drawn ploughs and steam-driven harvesting machines.

• Around the Village Green (1937): Set in rural Essex as new services like buses and running water arrive in the countryside. One Luddite declares that he will make do with the stream at the bottom of his garden!

Showing at: Regent Centre