Night Mail (GPO Film Unit, 1936) is a poetic documentary directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright and produced by the Post Office. Being just under 25 minutes, the film documents the nightly postal train operated by the LMS.
The film follows the process of mail distribution through the ‘Postal Special train’, which exclusively carries post from London to Scotland. The filmmakers use a variety of external shots to exhibit the train’s journey as well as interior shots to display the interactions between the many workers sorting letters.
Although the majority of the film appears to be an observational documentary, the final minutes of the film include a poem by W.H. Auden which is rhythmically narrated by John Grierson and Stuart Legg. In effect, this transforms the mode of the film into a poetic documentary – making Night Mail particularly noteworthy.
Night Mail is considered by many to be the apotheosis of the GPO Film Unit, trailblazing the way for the future of the documentary form. The film was widely acclaimed by contemporary critics and the poem remains popular within the British public.
Personally I found the film to be largely uninteresting for the majority of its duration, offering little in the way of insight and information. However, I found the recital of W.H. Auden’s poem to be relatively intriguing and I believe it to be the part of the film that has aged the best.
Overall, I would rate Night Mail ★★½.
Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog 