Britain’s National Archives has created an amazing online collection of “public information films,” or what we in the United States call “public service announcements” (PSAs). It’s an incredible collection that goes back to the 1950s and continues up through 2006. Some of the movies are just silly, and others are kind of amazing in their complexity and emotional impact.
One of the craziest is this anti-smoking PSA from 1985, which the National Archive staff suggest may have been influenced by Blade Runner. I love the creepy posthuman smoker — I wish we could see an entire movie filled with people modified like this, to facilitate their deadly addictions.
You can view the full collection of public information movies online, and relive late nights watching BBC when you were a kid.
