Best Documentary Movies of 1939

This early, influential propaganda film blends documentary and studio footage to show the valiant efforts of the Royal Air Force to defend the British people against the Nazis.

In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood stars.

In the middle of 1938, Kamei Fumio and his film crew got themselves attached to an infantry regiment which they followed around through China for about four months, filming their marching and their fighting and their waiting and their dying - in short, their suffering, and not theirs alone, but also that of the people around them, their designated enemies.

A short documentary detailing the forging of a katana

This film is less a typical musical short and more like an educational film. It consists of a narrator describing the music, composition and style of a big band.

A visit to the rural agricultural areas of Hungary where the people lead very traditional lifestyles.

A look at London Film Productions' studios at Denham.

This short film focuses on a group of lifeguards from a Southern California beach during the off season.

Produced shortly before the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, If War Should Come was one of the last films to be produced by the GPO Film Unit before it was re-named the Crown Film Unit and incorporated into the Films Division of the Ministry of Information.