Harry Watt (18 October 19062 April 1987) was a Scottish documentary and feature film director, who began his career working for

John Grierson John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Fla ...

and

Robert Flaherty Robert Joseph Flaherty, (; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, ''Nanook of the North'' (1922). The film made his reputatio ...

. His 1959 film ''

The Siege of Pinchgut ''The Siege of Pinchgut'' (released in the US as ''Four Desperate Men'') is a 1959 British thriller filmed on location in Sydney, Australia, and directed by Harry Watt. It was the last film produced by Ealing Studios, and was entered into the ...

'' was entered into the

9th Berlin International Film Festival The 9th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June – 7 July 1959. The festival welcomed the cinematic movement known as the New Wave and screened the work of directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda and François T ...

Biography

He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the son of a Scottish Liberal MP. He studied at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

but failed to complete his degree. He enlisted in the Merchant Navy and worked in a number of industrial jobs.

Documentaries

In 1932, Watt joined the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit under John Grierson and began working on documentaries. He was an assistant on ''

Man of Aran ''Man of Aran'' is a 1934 Irish fictional documentary (ethnofiction) film shot, written and directed by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern conditions, d ...

'' (1934). In 1936 Watt became a director for the London unit of the American newsreel series ''

March of Time ''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945. The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. Pr ...

'', where his films included ''England's Tithe War'' (1936). Watt then joined the

GPO Film Unit The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. The unit was established in 1933, taking on responsibilities of the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit. Headed by John Grierson, it was set up to produce sponsored documentary films ...

where he made his reputation as a documentarian with ''

Night Mail ''Night Mail'' is a 1936 British documentary film directed and produced by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, and produced by the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. The 24-minute film documents the nightly postal train operated by the London, Mi ...

'' (1936) which received much acclaim. He followed it with ''

The Saving of Bill Blewitt ''The Saving of Bill Blewitt'' is a 1936 documentary film produced by Alberto Cavalcanti of the GPO Film Unit and directed by Harry Watt. Synopsis Intended as a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the National Savings and Investments, Post Off ...

'' (1936) starring

Bill Blewitt Bill Blewitt was a Cornish postman 'discovered' by film-maker Harry Watt and cast in his 1936 film '' The Saving of Bill Blewitt''. The documentary was about the Post Office Savings Bank and featured Blewitt and the villagers of Mousehole in C ...

, who then appeared in Watt's ''

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

'' (1938). World War II saw Watt make war-themed films: ''

Squadron 992 ''Squadron 992'' is a 23-minute 1940 British propaganda film produced by the General Post Office GPO Film Unit of the British Ministry of Information and re-distributed by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of their wartime ''Ca ...

'' (1940), ''

London Can Take It! ''London Can Take It!'' is a short British propaganda film from 1940, which shows the effects of eighteen hours of the German blitz on London and its people. Intended to sway the US population in favour of Britain's plight, it was produced by th ...

'' (1940) and ''

Christmas Under Fire ''Christmas Under Fire'' is a 1941 British short documentary film directed by Harry Watt for the Crown Film Unit of the Ministry of Information. It was conceived as propaganda primarily for an American audience, to raise support for the A ...

'' (1941). His film ''

Target for Tonight ''Target for Tonight'' (or ''Target for To-Night'') is a 1941 British World War II documentary film billed as filmed and acted by the Royal Air Force, all during wartime operations. It was directed by Harry Watt for the Crown Film Unit. The fi ...

'' (1941) won an honorary

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1942.

Features

Watt made his feature debut with ''

Nine Men The council of Nine Men was a citizens board and a form of representational democracy in New Netherland. It replaced the previous councils, the Twelve Men and the Eight Men. Members of the council were elected in 1647, 1649, 1650 and 1652. On Ju ...

'' (1943), a war movie produced by

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in West London from 1938 to 1955. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British film ...

. He helped write '' For Those in Peril'' and followed this with a comedy, '' Fiddlers Three'' (1944) starring

Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was ...

. Balcon sent Watt to Australia to find a subject for the film. The result was '' The Overlanders'' (1946) which was a big hit and helped make a star of

Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...

. It inspired Ealing to set up production in Australia. However the follow up, ''

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

'' (1949), was not a success. Watt went to East Africa on a similar mission to the one he had for ''The Overlanders'' – travel around the country, and find a subject for a film. He came up with ''

Where No Vultures Fly ''Where No Vultures Fly'' is a 1951 British adventure film directed by Harry Watt and starring Anthony Steel and Dinah Sheridan. It was released under the title ''Ivory Hunter'' in the United States. The film was inspired by the work of the co ...

'' (1951) which was another big hit. It led to a less successful sequel, '' West of Zanzibar'' (1954). Watt worked as a producer for Granada Television from 1955 to 1956. He returned to Australia for ''

'' (1959). He directed some television on shows like '' The Four Just Men'' (1959–60). In his candid memoir, ''Don't Look at the Camera'' (1974), Watt was open about being a bully and having a sexist attitude towards female actors. He died in

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1938) * ''

'' (1939) * '' The First Days'' (1939) * '' Dover Front Line'' (1940) * ''

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1941) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Fiddlers Three'' (1944) * '' The Overlanders'' (1946) * ''

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1951) * '' West of Zanzibar'' (1954) * ''

'' (1959)

References

External links

* * * 1906 births 1987 deaths Scottish documentary filmmakers Scottish film directors Film people from Edinburgh {{UK-film-director-stub