Harry Birrell Presents Films of Love and War
Synopsis
From commanding a battalion of Ghurkas in the Indian army at the start of the WWII, to dangerous sorties deep behind enemy lines in Burma at its end; from the ballroom dances of his youth in the 1930s to teaching his children to twist in the 1960s: Harry’s entertaining and errant adventures are filmed with the intimacy of home movies but on the scale of 'Lawrence of Arabia'.
Today, his granddaughter Carina, uncovers a lifetime of memories all spliced together in over 400 films, personal diaries (narrated by Richard Madden) and countless photographs that have previously lain undiscovered, along with the many cans of cine film, in rusting metal trunks in a garden shed.
It’s one man’s cinematic vision of the 20th Century and his own personal journey through it.
Details
- Year
- 2019
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 90 min
- Format
- 9.5mm, 16mm, HD
- Director
-
Matt Pinder 1st Feature
- Producer
- John Archer, Carina Birrell, Matt Pinder
- Executive Producer
- David Harron, Mark Thomas, Ewan Angus
- Editor
- Colin Monie, Matt Pinder
- Director of Photography
- Harry Birrell
- Sound
- John Cobban
- Composer
- Ian Dolamore
- Principal cast
- Narration: Richard Madden
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Hopscotch Films
John ArcherFilm City Glasgow
401, Govan Road
Glasgow
G51 2QJ
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
The Weavers
Director: Callum McCulloch-Nowlan
Year: 2026
Rob Beaton has been weaving tartan and tweed in the Scottish Borders since he was 14. Now 84, he is Scotland's oldest and longest-serving mill worker, operating 100-year-old traditional shuttle looms. With no apprentice to carry on his craft, the mill where he has worked for over four decades may soon be forced to close. But elsewhere in Scotland, a different story is unfolding. At another mill in Highland Perthshire, a young apprentice is learning the trade, and the ancient rhythms of the looms are being passed to a new generation. Once, Scotland's textile industry employed nearly 75% of the population. Today, that figure stands at just 0.2%. Against the backdrop of that decline, the stories of these two mills paint a portrait of an industry at a crossroads. Through his film, Callum McCulloch-Nowlan celebrates the workers, machines, and spaces of Scotland's weaving tradition, while exploring the urgency of preserving a disappearing craft.
Roseburn - Path | Tram | People
Director: Lee Arthur Patterson
Year: 2026
Edinburgh has a developed network of greenways. One key 60 year old route, The Roseburn Path, is under threat of being significantly transformed into a Tramway. The documentary explores the history, development, social and wellbeing benefits for residents of the path and contrasts the competing needs of development and connectivity.
Two Pids
Director: John Smith
Year: 2026
After the world premiere of his film Being John Smith at the Toronto International Film Festival, an unexpected encounter in a hotel elevator leads the filmmaker to question the nature of reality.