Twenty-one Miles: Film Documentary (1942)

Dover, England. A scene from "Twenty-one Miles" produced by the British Army film unit and released by the Ministry of Information. The film shows how the town of Dover on the English coast, looks and lives today, with the enemy just across the channel, twenty-one miles away. (Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information photograph collection (Library of Congress) LC-USW33-026493-D)

Twenty-One Miles (1942)

The 1942 British Army propaganda short film, also known as "Dover" or "21 Miles," is a documentary produced by the British Army Film Unit that shows the town of Dover during World War II and the spirit of its citizens despite the threat from Nazi Germany, just 21 miles across the English Channel. It features American newsman Edward R. Murrow and was directed by Harry Watt. 

Title: Twenty-One Miles

Year: 1942

Director: Harry Watt

Producers: British Army Film Unit and Ministry of Information

Subject: The lives and resilience of the people in Dover, England, during World War II.

Purpose: To bolster morale and show the town's readiness to fight back against the imminent threat from the Nazi war machine, which was just 21 miles away across the English Channel.

Notable Elements: The film features a visit from the American journalist Edward R. Murrow. 

Recognition: It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Documentary. 

 

Dover, England. A scene from "Twenty-one Miles" produced by the British Army film unit and released by the Ministry of Information. The film shows how the town of Dover on the English coast, looks and lives today, with the enemy just across the channel, twenty-one miles away.

Another scene from the film “Twenty-one Miles.”