Improbably described by the French archivist and critic Henri Langlois as “the greatest technician and the greatest poet of British cinema”, it seems incredible that Richard Massingham isn't better known. A doctor by training, his first shorts were made in the early 1930s as a weekend hobby, and he began shooting promotional and training films to make a living. Twenty two of them are collected here: they’re all highly watchable, the best combining rare technical skill with sardonic humour. Massingham‘s bumbling, childlike everyman stars in many of them, with a series of one-minute 1940s Public Information Films demonstrating such skills as crossing roads, using a handkerchief correctly, and taking a bath in only five inches of water.
The jokes have a cruel streak which hasn’t dated. An officious narrator in Coughs and Sneezes barks orders at a hapless, mute Massingham, tipping pepper over his head to induce sneezing. Pedestrian Crossing shows him seated for breakfast in the middle of a road, a car then driving straight into the table. These films are frequently very funny, particularly when Massingham turns his hangdog face straight at the camera. Several last barely a minute, and seeing how many ideas can be packed into just a few seconds shows just how smart he was – the tiny montage evoking a continental holiday in Warning to Travellers is an excellent example.
Longer works include Tell Me If It Hurts, a visually striking, largely wordless account of a painful trip to the dentist, and What a Life, a dryly witty attempt to convince audiences that life in post-war Britain wasn’t actually that bad. Massingham’s travails in The Cure will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a bad back; Introducing the New Worker shows factory managers how to treat young employees. The BFI's detailed booklet is a joy to read. Image and sound quality are excellent. Massingham apparently made 90 films. Can we have a second volume, please?
Overleaf: watch Richard Massingham's Coughs and Sneezes
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