Mary Field
Directing
Born January 1, 1896 · Wimbledon, London, England, UK
British director and screen writer, she is not to be confused with the American actress of the same name. Mary Field is best known for directing short educational and nature films. Field became the series director of Secrets of Nature in 1929. Previously a history teacher, she joined the film industry as an historical consultant in 1925, working for British Instructional Films. Although she had no training in science or filmmaking, Field quickly proved herself to be a first-class film director, developing a unique style that fused education and instruction. Field insisted that nature films were more than just a series of impressive images: they were the result of a painstaking process that involved scriptwriting, editing, filming, cutting and montage and synchronisation, as well as the collaboration of expert consultants. She continued to direct nature films under the new title Secrets of Life from 1934 when her production team, led by H. Bruce Woolfe, moved from British Instructional Films to Gaumont-British instructional. During the Second World War, she put her skills to work in producing public information films for the British government and was later commissioned to produce a series of educational films for the British Council. Field was a pioneer in understanding how children related to the cinema, and spearheaded attempts to adapt films to their taste. Her 1954 Carnegie report, Children and Films: A Study of Boys and Girls in the Cinema, investigated the reactions of children to a series of films by means of infra-red photography. Previous reports into children’s reactions to cinema had been based on questionnaires. Field had been interested in audience’s reactions long before this – as early as the late 1920s, she was adapting many of the Secrets of Nature films based on audience feedback.
Directed (101)
Father of the Family
1951
The Rock Pool
1949
Ebb-tide
1948
Development of the Rabbit
1944
Memories
1944
Polly All Alone
1944
Tongues and Tails
1944
The Life History of the Onion
1943
History of the English Language
1943
The Life Cycle of the Pin Mould
1943
Development of the English Town
1943
Double Thread
1943
The Life Cycle of the Newt
1942
U-Boat in the Pond
1942
Climbers
1942
Down Somerset Way
1942
Once We Were Four
1942
Singing While They Work
1942
Overlooked
1942
Market Town
1942
The Life Cycle of the Maize
1942
Atlantic
1941
Mrs. T. and Her Cabbage Patch
1941
Wisdom of the Wild
1940
Civilian Front
1940
4 and 20 Fit Girls
1940
48, Paddington Street
1940
Why A Sponge
1940
Ducks and Drakes
1939
Two Little Orphans
1939
Old Blue
1939
Water Baby
1939
Shadow in the Stream
1939
The Tough 'un
1938
Living in London
1938
Over and Under
1938
Three Wicked Sisters
1938
Home in the Heather
1938
Perky Cockney
1938
They Made the Land
1938
The Catch of the Season
1938
Far and Wide
1938
Queering The Pitch
1938
Kings in Exile
1938
See How They Run
1938
Swan Song
1938
Hereford Pedigree Cattle
1937
Somersetshire Dairy-Farming
1937
Devon Dairy Farming
1937
Tawny Owl
1936
Fish Face
1936
Safety First
1936
Home in the Valley
1936
Community Life
1936
New Generation
1936
Life in the Balance
1936
He Would a-Wooing Go
1936
Lupins
1936
Nursery Island
1936
London Visitors
1936
Bird Sanctuary
1936
Sawfly
1936
This Was England
1935
Cabbage
1935
Home from the South
1935
Living Lies
1935
A Queer Diet
1935
Hedgerows
1935
White Flies and Tomatoes
1935
Mixed Bathing
1935
Thistledown
1935
Baby on the Rocks
1935
We Are Seven
1935
Farming in Spring
1935
Farming in Winter
1935
Farming in Summer
1935
Farming in Autumn
1935
Ravenous Roger
1935
Roots
1934
Fruitlands of Kent
1934
The Changing Year
1933
Gathering Moss
1933
Romance in a Pond
1932
Nature's Double Lifters
1932
Water Folk
1932
Strictly Business
1931
The Mystery of Marriage
1931
The World in a Wine-Glass
1931
Magic Myxies
1931
Friendly Flies
1931
Any Evening After Work
1930
The Aphis
1930
Peas and Cues
1930
Plants of the Underworld
1930
Playtime at The Zoo
1930
Deferred Payment
1929
The Irresponsibles
1929
Plant Magic
1927
The Story of a Glass of Water
1927
Paws and Claws
1925
Winter
1923