Stuart Legg (31 August 1910 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England – 23 July 1988 in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England) was a documentary filmmaker who was a leading figure in both the United Kingdom and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as a pioneering director, writer and producer. During his long filmmaking career, Legg's work was largely unknown, although he had won an

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 ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life

Legg was born on 31 August 1910 in London into a middle-class household. His father was a solicitor. Legg graduated from Cambridge with a degree in engineering. His first film was ''Varsity'' (1931) with the university's Film Society. This was followed by ''Cambridge'' (1932), produced with some involvement from British Instructional Films.

Filmmaking career

After graduation, Legg worked for six months as an assistant to director Walter Creighton at Publicity Films, a commercial company. As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, Legg worked with John Grierson. His first film after being taken on by Grierson was ''The New Generation'' (1932) for Chesterfield Education Authority, said to "exemplify an attempt at the Russian technique."Joining the General Post Office Film Unit

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 ...

from 1933, Legg replaced

Paul Rotha Paul Rotha (3 June 1907 – 7 March 1984) was a British documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. Early life and education He was born Paul Thompson in London, and educated at Highgate School and at the Slade School of Fine Art. Career ...

as head of Strand Films in 1937, where he moved from director to producer.

National Film Board of Canada

In 1939, Legg moved to Canada with his former mentor, Grierson, where he launched the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

's ''

Canada Carries On ''Canada Carries On'' (French: ''En avant Canada'') was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was initially created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War. Wit ...

'' and ''

The World in Action ''The World in Action'' (aka ''World in Action'') was a monthly series of propaganda films from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), created to boost morale and show the Allied war effort during the Second World War. The series was inspired ...

'' documentary film series, for which he made numerous films, as both a director and producer. Legg's films include '' Churchill's Island'' (1941), which won the first Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, and ''

Warclouds in the Pacific ''Warclouds in the Pacific'' is a 20-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film, part of the ''Canada Carries On'' series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada.Ohayon, Albert"Propaganda cinema at the NFB."''National Film Board of Canad ...

'', which was nominated for the same award."The 14th Academy Awards (1942); nominees and winners."
''oscars.org''. Retrieved: 2 May 2016."War Clouds in the Pacific.'
''

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''. Retrieved: 2 May 2016.

International work

Postwar, after first working in New York, Legg returned to Britain and worked as a producer for the

Crown Film Unit The Crown Film Unit was an organisation within the British Government's Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Formerly the GPO Film Unit it became the Crown Film Unit in 1940. Its remit was to make films for the general public in ...

between 1948 and 1950. In 1957, he became chairman of the Film Centre International. Legg later produced documentaries for

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

. Legg also worked with the Anglo-Scottish Pictures Ltd. and the Australian National Film Board, where he was involved in the early-1960s.

Writing

Legg's interest in history was evident. He recounted: "I'd gone into – documentary, but I don't think I was ever very good at it really –I was interested in history. I was interested in international affairs.""Legg, Stuart (1910–1988)"
''BFI'', 2016. Retrieved: 2 May 2016. His interest in history led him to write ''The Heartland'' (New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1970; later reissued as ''The Barbarians of Asia''); dedicated to Grierson. Reviews noted the book, "... gives the grand sweep of European and Asian history in terms of the continual conflict between the great coastal civilizations (China, India, Persia, the Middle East, Europe) and the barbarian horsemen from the central Asian steppes (Huns, Turks, Mongols, and others)."

Family life

Legg married Margaret Amos (1910–2002), daughter of Sir Percy Maurice Amos KBE KC (of the prominent Amos legal dynasty). However, they lived apart for many years.

Partial filmography

* ''Varsity'' (UK, 1930) * ''The Coming of the Dial'' (UK, 1933) * ''Cable Ship'' (UK, 1933) * ''Yugoslavia'' (UK, 1935) * ''BBC: The Voice of Britain'' (UK, 1935) * ''Free to Roam'' (15', UK, 1938) * ''Youth is Tomorrow'' (NFB, Canada, 1939) * ''The Case of Charlie Gordon'' (NFB, 1939) * '' Churchill's Island'' (NFB, 1941) * '' Inside Fighting China'' (NFB, 1941) * ''

'' (NFB, 1941) * ''The Invasion of North Africa'' (NFB, 1942) * ''The War for Men's Minds'' (NFB, 1943) * ''Inside France'' (NFB, 1944) * ''Balkan Powder Keg'' (NFB, 1944) * ''Food: Secret of the Peace'' (NFB, 1945) * ''John Bull's Own Island'' (UK 1945) * ''Powered Fight: The Story of the Century'' (UK, 1953)

Legacy

Legg's film ''Churchill's Island'' was preserved by the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

in 2005.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Ellis, Jack C. ''John Grierson: Life, Contributions, Influence''. Carbondale, Illinois:

Southern Illinois University Press Southern Illinois University Press or SIU Press, founded in 1956, is a university press located in Carbondale, Illinois, owned and operated by Southern Illinois University. The press publishes approximately 50 titles annually, among its more tha ...

, 2000. . * Evans, Gary. ''John Grierson and the National Film Board: The Politics of Wartime Propaganda''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984. . * Khouri, Malek. ''Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46.'' Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007. . * McInnes, Graham. ''One Man's Documentary: A Memoir of the Early Years of the National Film Board''. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba, 2004. .

External links

BFI Screenonline biography

Film Reference Library biography
*
Watch films by Stuart Legg at NFB.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legg, Stuart 1910 births 1988 deaths British documentary filmmakers British documentary film producers National Film Board of Canada people British expatriates in Canada