Underplayed Gems

The Next of Kin (1942)

The Next of Kin poster
Directed by
Thorold Dickinson
Genre
propaganda film
Country
United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 42m
Rating
5.0 of 10 from 10 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A British training film warns soldiers and civilians that careless talk can leak secrets to the enemy. It shows how spies pick up information from casual conversations, leading to fatal consequences for military operations.

educationalcautionaryurgentseriousbriskinstructionalpropagandisticgrim

What happens

The Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 Second World War propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios. The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government message that "Careless talk costs lives". After being taken on by Ealing Studios, the project was expanded and given a successful commercial release. After the war and up until at least the mid 1960s, services in British Commonwealth countries continued to use The Next of Kin as part of security training. The film's title is derived from the phrase "the next of kin have been informed" as used by radio announcers when reporting on the loss of personnel in action. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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