Paul Rotha

Painter and designer who was commissioned at the age of 20 to write "The Film Till Now" (1930, revised 1949), a pioneering work of cinema history that established many of the parameters for future study. He began making films in the 1930s, initially under the guidance of John Grierson, and was widely acclaimed for his industrial works such as "Shipyard" and "The Face of Britain" (both 1935). Rotha turned increasingly to production in the 40s but continued to direct noted documentaries including "World of Plenty" (1943) and "The World is Rich" (1947), both about food policy, and "World Without End" (1953), co-directed with Basil Wright for UNESCO. He made three feature films in the late 1950s and 60s which, though influenced by his documentary style, were unexceptional. The compilation film, "The Life of Adolf Hitler" (1962), remains one of the finest screen histories of Nazism.