An Airman's Letter to His Mother (1941)

Directed by

Michael Powell

Genre

documentary film, propaganda film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

6 min

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 4 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This short documentary recreates a real letter from a British bomber pilot to his mother during World War II. The film presents the pilot's words as a tribute to the sacrifice and duty of airmen.

solemnpatrioticrestrainedpoignantstirringintimatewartime

What happens

An Airman's Letter to His Mother is a 1941 documentary-style British propaganda short film directed by Michael Powell and narrated by John Gielgud and Powell. It was based on an actual letter from a British bomber pilot to his mother published in The Times in June 1940. Subsequently, the letter was published as a pamphlet and received wide distribution in the UK. "The letter in question had touched a nation's heart and made a popular film subject." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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