Stewart McAllister (27 December 1914 – 27 November 1962) was a British documentary

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

who collaborated closely with

Humphrey Jennings Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings (19 August 1907 – 24 September 1950) was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organisation. Jennings was described by film critic and director Lindsay Anderson in 195 ...

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 opposin ...

to produce films 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 ...

of the Ministry of Information. His contributions towards these films was largely neglected until Dai Vaughan's biography of him, ''Portrait of an Invisible Man'', was published in 1983.

Early life

McAllister was born in the Scottish county of

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

on 27 December 1914. While studying painting at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

, McAllister became involved in the Film Society.

Career

During his time in the Film Society, one of McAllister's films brought him to the attention of documentary film-maker

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 ...

. Grierson invited him to join 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 ...

. During the

, McAllister continued working with this unit, which was renamed the

in 1940. In this time, he worked as an editor for most of the films directed by

, including ''

Fires Were Started ''Fires Were Started'' is a 1943 British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings. Filmed in documentary style, it shows the lives of firefighters through the Blitz during the Second World War. The film uses actual firemen (including Cyril ...

'' and '' Listen to Britain''. Other films he edited during the war include the

Harry Watt Harry Watt (18 October 19062 April 1987) was a Scottish documentary and feature film director, who began his career working for John Grierson and Robert Flaherty. His 1959 film ''The Siege of Pinchgut'' was entered into the 9th Berlin Inter ...

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 ...

''. Following the death of Humphrey Jennings in 1950, McAllister began working for the

British Transport Films British Transport Films was an organisation set up in 1949 to make documentary films on the general subject of British transport. Its work included internal training films, travelogues (extolling the virtues of places that could be visited via th ...

unit, under

Edgar Anstey Edgar Anstey (16 February 1907 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England – 26 September 1987 in London, England), was a leading British documentary film-maker. Anstey was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys and Birkbeck College. He spen ...

. With Anstey's encouragement, McAllister began working as a producer, resulting in films such as the humorous ''I Am a Litter Basket'' (1959). He also narrated many of the films that he produced.

Death

McAllister died in the

Law Hospital Law Hospital was a health facility in Law, South Lanarkshire. It was managed by NHS Lanarkshire. History The facility was designed by Cullen, Lochhead and Brown as one of seven Emergency Hospital Service facilities and opened in 1939. It accomm ...

on 27 November 1962.

Collaboration with Jennings

McAllister's role in the production of Crown Film Unit films has often been overlooked, with greater attention being focused on Jennings. However, the exact nature of McAllister's collaboration with Humphrey Jennings remains uncertain. McAllister's biographer, Dai Vaughan, provides substantial evidence through quotations from primary sources and critical analyses of the films, that McAllister's creativity and skills were a defining factor in what are known are known as 'Jenning's films', and that McAllister is an excellent case study for re-examining the validity of a theory of a single 'author' of a film. McAllister's contribution seems to have been particularly significant for the film ''Listen to Britain'', which uniquely acknowledged that it was 'Directed and edited by Humphrey Jennings and Stewart McAllister'. The recycling of other footage necessitated a greater degree of creative editing. Some of the film's most memorable scenes, including the cut from

Flanagan and Allen Flanagan and Allen were a British singing and comedy double act most active during the 1930s and 1940s. Its members were Bud Flanagan (1896 – 1968, born Chaim Weintrop) and Chesney Allen (1894–1982). They were first paired in a Florrie For ...

in a factory to Dame Myra Hess at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, were attributed to McAllister by his colleagues.

Personality

McAllister was shy and introverted but was also considered bad-tempered and argumentative.

Filmography

As editor

*''7 Till 5'' (1933) *''North Sea'' (1938) *''The Islanders'' (1939 - as assistant editor) *''Men of the Lightship'' (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) *'' The Heart of Britain'' (1941) *'' Words for Battle'' (1941) *''

'' (1941) *'' Listen to Britain'' (1942) *''

'' (1943) *''

The Silent Village ''The Silent Village'' is a 1943 British propaganda short film in the form of a drama documentary, made by the Crown Film Unit and directed by Humphrey Jennings. The film was named one of the top 5 documentaries of 1943 by the National Board of ...

'' (1943) *''The Eighty Days'' (1944) *''

A Diary for Timothy ''A Diary for Timothy'' (1945) is a British documentary film directed by Humphrey Jennings. It was produced by Basil Wright for the Crown Film Unit. The narration was written by the British author E. M. Forster (spoken by Michael Redgrave) an ...

'' (1945) *''

Family Portrait Family Portrait may refer to: Portraiture painting * Family Portrait (Hals, four persons), ''Family Portrait'' (Hals, four persons), a 1635 painting by Frans Hals * Family Portrait (Hals, five persons), ''Family Portrait'' (Hals, five persons), ...

'' (1950) *''Journey Into History'' (1951) *''Train Time'' (1952) *''

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

: Memories of the Camps'' (1985) *''A Painful Reminder: Evidence for All Mankind'' (1985)

As producer

*''The Heart is Highland'' (1952) *''Ocean Terminal'' (1952) *''The Coasts of Clyde'' (1959) *''I Am a Litter Basket'' (1959) *''Groundwork for Progress'' (1959) *''Railway Electrification at Industrial Frequency'' (1960)

As director

*''Listen to Britain'' (1942) *''The Land of Robert Burns'' (1953)

References

External links

*
Stewart McAllister on BFI Screenonline
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAllister, Stewart 1914 births 1962 deaths British film editors Scottish film editors Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art