Brian Smith

Movies

Harmony Lane
Cinematography
The first British 3D short, this delightful 27 minute short is like spending a night at the Palladium with several variety acts. They include dancing by the Jack Billings Trio; a song by the Beverley Sisters; "Swan Lake" by Svetlana Beriosova and David Paltenghi of the Sadler's Wells Ballet; precision dancing by The Television Toppers and a comedy routine with Dora Bryan and Max Bygraves.
Your Children's Play
Director
Paging all parents! Need some post-war childrearing advice? Then this is the film for you. It was an instalment in the Your Children series of films produced between 1945 and 1951, dealing with various facets of children's health - in this case, the importance of play to both mental and physical development. The surprise is not that much of it has amusingly dated – of course it has – but how much still feels enlightened and applicable today.
Your Children and You
Director
With a spike in birth rates after the Second World War, it was the job of the government's publicity agency, the Central Office of Information (COI), to provide guidance for first-time parents on the dos and don'ts of bringing up children. This is an observational film directed by Brian Smith which covers the practicalities of caring for babies and young children.