Editing John Grierson (section)

== Filmmaker ==
Grierson returned to Great Britain in 1927 armed with the sense that film could be enlisted to build national morale and consensus, and to deal with social problems, a theory he would enact especially during the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|Great Depression]].  Filmmaking for Grierson was an exalted, patriotic calling. Grierson's thinking was elitist in some ways, which he exposed with his many dicta of the time, such as "The elect have their duty" and "I look on cinema as a pulpit, and use it as a propagandist."

Grierson was also a cultural relativist. In the US, he had met pioneering documentary filmmaker [[Robert Flaherty]] and respected Flaherty immensely for his contributions to documentary form and his attempts to use the camera to bring alive the lives of everyday people and events. Less commendable in Grierson's view was Flaherty's invalidating focus on exotic and faraway cultures. ("In the profounder kind of way", wrote Grierson of Flaherty, "we live and prosper each of us by denouncing the other"). In Grierson's view, the focus of film should be on the everyday drama of ordinary people. As Grierson wrote in his diaries: "Beware the ends of the earth and the exotic: the drama is on your doorstep wherever the slums are, wherever there is malnutrition, wherever there is exploitation and cruelty." "'You keep your savages in the far place Bob; we are going after the savages of Birmingham,' I think I said to him pretty early on. And we did.")

=== Empire Marketing Board ===
On his return to England, Grierson was employed on a temporary basis as an Assistant Films Officer of the [[Empire Marketing Board]] (EMB), a governmental agency which had been established in 1926 to promote British world trade and British unity throughout the [[British Empire|empire]]. One of the major functions of the EMB was publicity, which the Board accomplished through exhibits, posters, and publications and films. It was within the context of this State-funded organisation that the "documentary" as we know it today got its start.

In late 1929 Grierson and his cameraman, [[Basil Emmott]] completed his first film, ''[[Drifters (1929 film)|Drifters]]'', which he wrote, produced and directed. The film, which follows the heroic work of [[North Sea]] herring fishermen, was a radical departure from anything being made by the British film industry or Hollywood. A large part of its innovation lies in the fierce boldness in bringing the camera to rugged locations such as a small boat in the middle of a gale while leaving relatively less of the action staged. The choice of topic was chosen less from Grierson's curiosity than the fact that he discovered that the Financial Secretary had made the herring industry his hobbyhorse. It premiered in a private film club in London in November 1929 on a double-bill with [[Sergei Eisenstein|Eisenstein's]] -then controversial- film ''[[The Battleship Potemkin]]'' (which was banned from general release in Britain until 1954) and received high praise from both its sponsors and the press. The film was shown from 9 December 1929, in the Stoll in Kingsway and then was later screened throughout Britain.<ref name=":0" />

After this success, Grierson moved away from film direction into a greater focus on production and administration within the EMB. He became a tireless organizer and recruiter for the EMB, enlisting a stable of energetic young filmmakers into the film unit between 1930 and 1933. Those enlisted included filmmakers [[Basil Wright]], [[Edgar Anstey]], [[Stuart Legg]], [[Paul Rotha]], [[Sir Arthur Elton, 10th Baronet|Arthur Elton]], [[Humphrey Jennings]], [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]], and [[Alberto Cavalcanti]]. This group formed the core of what was to become known as the British [[Documentary Film Movement]]. [[Robert Flaherty]] himself also worked briefly for the unit. In 1933 the EMB Film Unit was disbanded, a casualty of Depression-era economics.

=== General Post Office ===
Grierson's boss at the EMB moved to the [[General Post Office]] (GPO) as its first public relations officer, with the stipulation that he could bring the EMB film unit with him. Grierson's crew were charged with demonstrating how the Post Office facilitated modern communication and brought the nation together, a task aimed as much at GPO workers as the general public.  During Grierson's administration, the [[GPO Film Unit]] produced a series of groundbreaking films, including ''[[Night Mail]]'' (dir. [[Basil Wright]] and [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]], 1936) and ''[[Coal Face]]'' (dir. [[Alberto Cavalcanti]], 1935). In 1934 he produced at the GPO Film Unit the award-winning ''[[The Song of Ceylon]]'' (dir. [[Basil Wright]]) which was sponsored jointly by the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Bureau and the EMB.

In 1934, Grierson sailed on the ''Isabella Greig'' out of [[Granton, Edinburgh|Granton]] to film ''[[Granton Trawler]]'' on Viking Bank which is between [[Shetland]] and the Norwegian coast.<ref name=":0" /> The footage from his voyage was handed over to [[Edgar Anstey]], who pulled footage of when the camera had fallen over on the deck of the boat to create a storm scene.<ref name=":0" /> ''Granton Trawler'' was a favourite film of Grierson's, he saw it as a homage to the ''Isabella Greig'' that was sunk in 1941 by German bombs when it went out to fish and was never seen again.<ref name=":0" /> ''[[The Private Life of the Gannets|The Private Life of Gannets]]'' was also filmed on the ''Isabella Greig;'' the film was shot on [[Grassholm]] with Grierson shooting the slow-motion sequence of the gannets diving for fish which took only one afternoon to shoot near [[Bass Rock]] in the Firth of Forth.<ref name=":0" /> The Private Life of Gannets went on to pick up an Academy Award in 1937.<ref name=":0" />

Grierson eventually grew restless with having to work within the bureaucratic and budgetary confines of government sponsorship. Grierson resigned from the G.P.O. on 30 June 1937, which gave him more time to pursue his passions and the freedom to speak his mind on issues around the world.<ref name=":0" /> In response, he sought out private industry sponsorship for film production. He was finally successful in getting the British gas industry to underwrite an annual film program.  Perhaps the most significant works produced during this time were ''Housing Problems'' (dir. [[Sir Arthur Elton, 10th Baronet|Arthur Elton]], [[Edgar Anstey]], [[John Taylor (documentary filmmaker)|John Taylor]], and Grierson's sister [[Ruby Grierson]], 1935).
[[File:John Grierson (left), Chairman of the Wartime Information Board, meeting with Ralph Foster, Head of Graphics, National Film Board of Canada, to examine a series of posters produced by the National Film Board of Canada.jpg|thumb|John Grierson (left), Chairman of the Wartime Information Board, meeting with Ralph Foster, Head of Graphics, National Film Board of Canada, to examine a series of posters produced by the National Film Board of Canada|alt=Two men looking at a film poster on a desk against a background of movie posters]]

=== Canada  ===
In 1938, Grierson was invited by the Canadian government to study the country's film production.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson sailed at the end of May in 1938 for [[Canada]] and arrived on 17 June.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson met with the Prime Minister, [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] and also spoke with many important figures across Canada, they were all in agreement of the importance of film in reducing sectionalism and in promoting the relationship of Canada between home and abroad.<ref name=":0" /> The head of the Motion Picture Bureau for Canada, Frank Badgley, did not appreciate Grierson's assessment and criticism of the films made by the Bureau which was that they focused too much on Canada as a place to holiday.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson delivered his report on government film propaganda and the weaknesses he had found in Canadian film production; his suggestion was to create a national coordinating body for the production of films.<ref name=":0" /> An abridged version of the report ran to 66 pages, which was prepared by August in London.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson returned to Britain but was invited back to Canada on 14 October 1938; he returned in November.<ref name=":0" />

==== National Film Board of Canada and Wartime Information Board ====
In 1939, Canada created the National Film Commission, which would later become the [[National Film Board of Canada]]. The bill to create a National Film Board was drafted by Grierson; the bill was introduced in March 1939 and given Royal Assent on 2 May 1939.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson was appointed the first Commissioner of the National Film Board in October 1939.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-grierson/|title=John Grierson|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=9 May 2018|archive-date=10 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510050752/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-grierson/|url-status=live}}</ref> When Canada entered [[World War II]] in 1939, the NFB focused on the production of [[propaganda]] films, many of which Grierson directed. For example, captured footage of German war activity was incorporated in documentaries that were distributed to the then-neutral United States.

Grierson grieved the death of his sister Ruby in 1940; she was on the  ''[[SS City of Benares]]'' while it was evacuating one hundred children to Canada.<ref name=":0" /> The ''Benares'' was torpedoed four days after its sailing, and sank within thirty-one minutes in a Force 10 Gale.<ref name=":0" /> Ruby Grierson had managed to enter Lifeboat 8, full with more than thirty people, including eighteen girls and two female escorts, but as it was lowering, a wave crashed into the lifeboat, sending it into a vertical position, and throwing everyone in that boat into the sea. No one from Boat 8 survived. In the end, of 406 people on board, only 148 people survived, including only 19 of 100 children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nagorski |first=Tom |title=Miracles on the Water: The Heroic Survivors of a World War II U-boat Attack |publisher=Hyperion (now Hachette Books) |year=2006 |isbn=9781401301507 |location=United States |language=English}}</ref> Grierson resigned from his position in January 1941. Over his year as Commissioner at the National Film Board 40 films were made; the year before the Motion Picture Bureau had made only one and a half.<ref name=":0" /> Recommendations for the future running were made for the National Film Board, and Grierson was persuaded to stay for a further six months to oversee the changes.<ref name=":0" />

During WWII, Grierson was a consultant to prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King as a minister of the [[Wartime Information Board]]. He remained on the National Film Board and managed to complete his duties to Wartime Information Board as well through his deputies that aided him in the task.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson was asked to keep his dual role until January 1944, however, he resigned in 1943 as the job he had been asked to complete had been finished as far as he was concerned.<ref name=":0" /> Before he finished with the Wartime Information Bureau Grierson was also offered the role of chairman of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] but turned it down as he believed that this would give him too much power.<ref name=":0" />

On 26 February 1942, Grierson attended the Academy Awards and received the award on behalf of the National Film Board for ''[[Churchill's Island]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson also presented the award for the best documentary, the first time that this award was given by the Academy.<ref name=":0" /> After the [[Dieppe Raid]], there were reports that Canadians that had been taken as prisoners of war had been manacled under Hitler's orders.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson proposed that the Film Board show how the German prisoners of war were being treated in Canada through a film. Ham Wright directed the film showing the German sailors that had been captured; playing football, enjoying meals and looking healthy.<ref name=":0" /> Only one copy of the film was made, it was sent to the Swiss Red Cross who deliberately let it fall into German hands.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson was to learn at a later date that Hitler had indeed watched the film and ordered that the Canadian prisoners of war released from their manacles.<ref name=":0" />

After the war, the National Film Board focused on producing documentaries that reflected the lives of Canadians. The National Film Board has become recognized around the world for producing quality films, some of which have won [[Academy Awards]]. The National Film Board had become one of the largest film studios and was respected around the world for what it had achieved; it had especially had influence in Czechoslovakia and China.<ref name=":0" />

In December 1943 Grierson was elected by the Permanent Film Committee of the National Council for Canadian-Soviet Friendship to become honorary chairman.<ref name=":0" /> One of the tasks at the National Film Board that Grierson strongly pushed for the films being produced to be in French as well as English.<ref name=":0" /> He also pushed for a French unit in the National Film Board.<ref name=":0" />

Grierson concentrated on documentary film production in New York after resigning his post following in August 1945; his resignation was to take effect in November 1945.<ref name=":0" /> In 1946 Grierson was asked to testify as part of the investigation of the [[Gouzenko Affair]] regarding communist spies in the National Film Board and the Wartime Information Board, rumours spread that he had been a leader of a spy ring during his offices with the Canadian government, a rumour he denied.<ref name=":0" /> Due to the rumours, the projects that Grierson had been trying to put together were not commissioned and he was barred from taking an important position at the [[United Nations]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=var>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=10 May 1989|page=107|title=John Grierson - Canadian film pioneer with influence, talent 'unlike any other'}}</ref>

=== Commission on Freedom of the Press ===
Grierson was appointed as a foreign adviser to the Commission on Freedom of the Press in December 1943, which had been set up by the [[University of Chicago]].<ref name=":0" /> Grierson was able to make a large contribution to the committee which included [[Robert Maynard Hutchins|Robert M. Hutchins]], [[William Ernest Hocking|William E. Hocking]], [[Harold Lasswell|Harold D. Lasswell]], [[Archibald MacLeish|Archibald McLeish]] and [[Charles Edward Merriam|Charles Merriam]].<ref name=":0" /> ''A Free and Responsible Press'' was published in 1947.<ref name=":0" />

=== UNESCO ===
Grierson was offered the position of head of information at [[UNESCO]] at the end of 1946; he attended the first General Conference of UNESCO from 26 November until 10 December in Paris.<ref name=":0" /> He had the idea for the ''[[UNESCO Courier|Unesco Courier]]'' which was published in several languages across the world, first as a tabloid and later as a magazine.<ref name=":0" /> Grierson was invited to open the [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] in 1947, from 31 August to 7 September.<ref name=":0" /> At the start of 1948 he resigned from his position as director for Mass Communications and Public Information, he left in April to return to Britain.<ref name=":0" />

=== Central Office of Information ===
In February 1948, Grierson was appointed the controller of the [[Central Office of Information]]'s film operations to co-ordinate the work of the Crown Film Unit and Films Division, and to take overall charge of the planning, production and distribution of government films.<ref name=":0" /> On 23 June 1948, he accepted an honorary degree, an LL.D from the University of Glasgow.<ref name=":0" /> He left in 1950 due to financial restrictions on the documentaries that he wished to make.<ref name=":0" />

=== Group 3 ===
Grierson was appointed to the position of executive producer of [[Group 3 Films|Group 3]] at the end of 1950; it was a film production enterprise that received loans of government money through the [[National Film Finance Corporation]].<ref name=":0" /> They filmed at [[Southall Studios]] in [[West (London sub region)|West London]] but later moved to [[Beaconsfield Film Studios|Beaconsfield Studios]].<ref name=":0" /> Group 3 was to have continuous production from 1951 until 1955 when it stopped producing films, the organisation had made a loss of over £400,000 as production of the films usually ran over the time allocated, and there had also been difficulty getting the films shown in cinemas.<ref name=":0" />

During this time Grierson had been diagnosed with [[tuberculosis]] in May 1953, he spent a fortnight in hospital and then had a year of convalescing at his home, Tog Hill in [[Calstone]].<ref name=":0" /> Grierson spent much of his time corresponding with the directors at Group 3, as well as commenting on scripts and story ideas.<ref name=":0" /> He had recovered enough to attend the Cannes Film Festival in April 1954, taking the production of ''Man of Africa''.<ref name=":0" /> At the Edinburgh Film Festival in the same year, a dinner was held in Grierson's honour to celebrate twenty-five years of documentary.<ref name=":0" />

=== Films of Scotland Committee ===
Grierson joined the newly revived Films of Scotland Committee in 1955. Also on the committee were [[Norman Wilson (film critic)|Norman Wilson]], [[Forsyth Hardy]], [[George Singleton]], C. A. Oakley and [[Neil Paterson (writer)|Neil Paterson]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1956, Grierson was the president of the [[Venice Film Festival]]'s jury; he was also jury president at the [[Cork Film Festival]] and the [[South American Film Festival]] in 1958.<ref name=":0" /> In 1957, Grierson received a special [[Canadian Film Award]]. Grierson wrote the script for, ''[[Seawards the Great Ships]],'' which was directed by [[Hilary Harris]] and awarded an Academy Award in 1961, a feat for the Films of Scotland Committee.<ref name=":0" />

=== This Wonderful World ===
The first programme of [[This Wonderful World]] was aired on 11 October 1957 in Scotland; it was on ''The Culbin Sands'' which focused on how the [[Forestry Commission]] had replanted six thousand acres of woodland along the mouth of [[Findhorn]].<ref name=":0" /> In the seventeenth century wild sand had blown into the mouth and covered the land, the successful replanting of the forest was a great success for the commission.<ref name=":0" /> This Wonderful World was shown weekly, other topics for episodes included [[Leonardo da Vinci]], ballet, [[king penguin]]s and [[Norman McLaren]]'s ''[[Boogie-Doodle|Boogie Doodle]]''.<ref name=":0" />

This Wonderful World began to be aired in England in February 1959, it ran for a further eight years and was in the Top Ten programmes for the week for the UK in 1960.<ref name=":0" /> In 1961, Grierson was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in the Queen's Birthday Honours.<ref name=":0" /> In 1962, he was a member of the jury for the [[Vancouver International Film Festival|Vancouver Film Festival]], during his visit to Canada he also received the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Medal for his contribution to the visual arts.<ref name=":0" /> In 1963, he was busy with This Wonderful World and the Films of Scotland Committee but still found time to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary of the National Film Board in Montreal.<ref name=":0" />

In 1965, Grierson was the patron of the [[Commonwealth Film Festival]] which took place in [[Cardiff]] in that year.<ref name=":0" /> In 1966, he was offered the role of Governor of the [[British Film Institute]]; however, he turned down the position.<ref name=":0" /> This Wonderful World changed the title to John Grierson Presents.<ref name=":0" />

In 1967, after returning from the [[Oberhausen Film Festival]] where he had been the President of Honour of the jury, Grierson suffered a bout of [[bronchitis]] which lasted eight days.<ref name=":0" /> His brother Anthony, who had trained to be a doctor was called and diagnosed Grierson with [[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|emphysema]], his coughing fits were a cause for concern, and he was admitted to [[Manor Hospital, Epsom|Manor Hospital]].<ref name=":0" /> Grierson decided to give up smoking and drinking to benefit his health.<ref name=":0" />

===Later life===
Grierson opened the new primary school at Cambusbarron on 10 October 1967; his sister Dorothy attended the day with him.<ref name=":0" /> The [[BBC]] expressed their wishes to make a programme about Grierson in the year of his seventieth birthday, which he turned down three times<ref name=":0" /> In the year of his seventieth birthday, Grierson received many tributes from across the globe. He was made an honorary member of the [[Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians]]; he pressed for the ceremony to be held in Glasgow.<ref name=":0" /> He also received the Golden Thistle Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Cinema at the Edinburgh Film Festival.<ref name=":0" />

In January 1969, Grierson left for Canada to lecture at [[McGill University]]; enrollment for his classes grew to around seven hundred students. He also lectured at [[Carleton University]] once a fortnight.<ref name=":0" /> At [[Heriot-Watt University]] in Edinburgh on 8 July 1969, Grierson received an [[Honorary degree|Honorary Doctorate]] of Literature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm|title=Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates|last=|website=www1.hw.ac.uk|access-date=7 April 2016|archive-date=18 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418163907/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A few days earlier on 4 July 1969, Grierson had opened the [[Scottish Fisheries Museum]] in [[Anstruther]].<ref name=":0" />

Grierson was a member of the jury for the Canadian Film Awards in 1970.<ref name=":0" /> He spent a few months in 1971, travelling around India instilling the importance of having small production units throughout the country.<ref name=":0" /> He returned to the UK in December 1971 and was meant to travel back to India; however, his trip was delayed by the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Indo-Pakistani War]].<ref name=":0" /> Grierson went into hospital for a health check-up in January 1972; he was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer and was given months to live.<ref name=":0" /> During his time in hospital he spent time dictating letters to his wife, Margaret, and received visitors; however, he fell unconscious on 18 February and died on the 19th.<ref name=":0" /> In his wishes for his funeral he had detailed his desire to be cremated. Also according to his wishes, his urn was placed in the sea off the Old Head in [[Kinsale]], and his brother Anthony, who had died in August 1971, had his ashes placed at the same time.<ref name=":0" /> A small flotilla followed the ''Able Seaman'', which carried the ashes, and when the urns were lowered into the water, the fishing boats sounded their sirens.<ref name=":0" />

The Grierson Archive at the [[University of Stirling]] Archives was opened by Angus Macdonald in October 1977.<ref name=":0" />