How To Be Eccentric: The Films Of Richard Massingham

During the 1940s, Richard Massingham's face was recognisable to anyone who went to the cinema in Britain. His performances as the well-meaning but bumbling everyman in a series of imaginative shorts provided instruction to the British public on everything from how to cross roads to the correct way to sneeze into a handkerchief and the need to bathe in just five inches of water during the time of wartime rationing. Marked by a wonderfully inventive combination of comedy, instruction, surrealism and whimsy, these films not only starred Massingham, but were also often produced and directed by him. This essential collection, selected from the BFI archives, celebrates this extraordinary figure and reveals him to be one of British cinema's most fascinating and enduring eccentrics. It includes a fully illustrated booklet with essays and full film credits. no subtitles