WORDS FOR BATTLE [Main Title]


  • Title: WORDS FOR BATTLE [Main Title]
  • Film Number: UKY 283
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: Laurence Olivier reads extracts from patriotic and inspirational prose and poetry against an illustrative montage of film.
  • Description: Camden's "Britannia" (title page) against views of British countryside - Milton's "Areopagitica" (Westminster Abbey bust) against RAF Cadets and a Hurricane fighter, and some film of bizarre Nazi leaders and ceremony - Blake's "Jerusalem" (birthplace plaque) against evacuees leaving London and playing in the country - Browning's "Home-thoughts from the sea" (page of book) against seascapes, Navy flag ceremonies, Nelson, and Gibraltar - Kipling's "The Beginnings" (Kipling's Tomb) against Blitz damage and an ARP funeral - Churchill's "Never Surrender" 4 June 1940 speech (Churchill inspecting troops) against St. Paul's Cathedral framed by wrecked house, Empire troops, and Parliament Square statue of Lincoln - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address against more film of Parliament Square and Cruiser tanks. Film ends with shots of servicemen and women in London.
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1941-04
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor) Crown Film Unit (Production company) Jennings, Humphrey (Production individual) Dalrymple, Ian Murray1903-08-261989-03-28 (Production individual) Olivier, Laurence19071989British actor; Laurence Kerr, preferred form Laurence Olivier. (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer (person) British Army (regiment/service) Royal Air Force (regiment/service) Royal Navy (regiment/service) Air Raid Precautions (ARP) (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: aircraft, British - combat: Hawker Hurricane (object name) armour, British - tank: Cruiser (object name) arts, British - literature: Blake, William & Jerusalem (object name) arts, British - literature: Browning, Robert & Home-thoughts from the Sea (object name) arts, British - literature: Camden, William & Britannia (object name) arts, British - literature: Kipling, Rudyard & The Beginnings (object name) arts, British - literature: Milton, John & Aeropagitica (object name) arts, United States - literature: Lincoln, Abraham & Gettysburg Address (object name) ceremonies, British - display: military parade (object name) ceremonies, British - event-related: funeral of ARP warden (object name) destruction, British military - area: bomb (object name) propaganda, British - inspirational (object name) society, British - precautionary: evacuees (object name) GB, England & London, EC <Saint Paul's Cathedral> (geography) GB, England & London, SW <Parliament Square> (geography) GB, England & London, SW <Westminster Abbey> (geography) Gibraltar (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 703 ft; Running time: 8 mins
  • Notes: Remarks: good. Documentation/associated material: COI file - shotlist, script, music cue sheet
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UKY 283

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