Paul Rotha

Directing

Paul Rotha

Born June 3, 1907 · London, England

Died March 7, 1984 · aged 76

Paul Rotha (3 June 1907 – 7 March 1984) was an English documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. He was born Paul Thompson in London, and educated at Highgate School and at the Slade School of Fine Art. Rotha was a close collaborator of John Grierson, and Wolfgang Suschitzky was one of his cinematographers. He directed and produced dozens of documentaries including Contact (1933), Air O…

Known For

ContactContact · 1933
Contact
1933
MovieDocumentary
Documentary film promoting Imperial Airways, focusing on the many stages involved in air travel, with the majority of scenes featuring aerial shots from an aeroplane.
Five and UnderFive and Under · 1941
Five and Under
1941
MovieDocumentary
Childcare for working women during the Second World War.
Cradle of GeniusCradle of Genius · 1960
Cradle of Genius
10.01960
MovieDocumentary
Longtime playwrights and performers of the Abbey Theatre share colourful reminiscences of the national institution founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904. Oscar Nominee: Best Documentary Short
Cat & MouseCat & Mouse · 1958
Cat & Mouse
6.31958
MovieDramaCrime
A GI deserter frames a girl for killing a blackmailer, and holds her captive while seeking gems.
The Silent RaidThe Silent Raid · 1962
The Silent Raid
7.01962
MovieWarHistory
In 1944 Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, a band of Dutch resistance fighters plot to covertly rescue dozens of compatriots from the local Nazi prison.
ShipyardShipyard · 1935
Shipyard
5.31935
MovieDocumentary
Documentary about the building of ships at Barrow-in-Furness.
No Resting PlaceNo Resting Place · 1951
No Resting Place
6.31951
Movie
The brilliant British documentary filmmaker Paul Rotha made his feature-film debut with 1950's No Resting Place. Filmed on location in Ireland, the film is a lightly fictionalized study of that country's itinerant workmen. Michael Gough plays tinker Alec Kyle, whose life is thrown into turmoil when he accidentally kills a man. Kyle spends the rest of the film evading Guard Mannigan (Noel Purcell), a civil servant who relies on instinct rather than scientific deduction to get his man. Without ever trying to elicit sympathy for his characters, director Rotha manages to compellingly detail the miserable living and working conditions of Ireland's nomad artisans.
The World Is RichThe World Is Rich · 1946
The World Is Rich
7.01946
MovieDocumentary
The World Is Rich is a 1947 British documentary film directed by Paul Rotha about food shortages after World War II, outlining steps underway to deal with the problems. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Filmography

Sort