These Children Are Safe

A Record of the Great Social Experiment of "Evacuation". During the first three days of war one million children were moved to places of safety in the country in order to avoid areas which might have made targets for enemy bombers. When schools re-opened they agreed to work on a half-shift basis--giving their own pupils games for half the day while the town children used the schoolrooms. Progressive teachers gave their pupils open-air lessons in simple architecture, in botany and in the way of living of country people.

Directed by Alexander Shaw, These Children Are Safe leans on a strong ensemble — John Hilton — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1939.