Max Anderson (director)

Maxim Anderson (25 April 1914 in London, England – 10 July 1959) was a British director and producer of documentaries. He worked with the GPO Film Unit from 1936 onwards, and later changed to Crown Film Unit. He directed documentaries such as The Harvest Shall Come (1942) and Four Men in Prison (1950).

Max Anderson was born on 25 April 1914, the son of artist Stanley Anderson and Lillian Phelps. He was educated at Sloane School and Cambridge University He joined the GPO Film Unit in 1936 at age 22, and became a director. Soon after the start of World War II the GPO Film Unit became the Crown Film Unit (CFU) under the Ministry of Information. In 1940, Anderson joined the Realist Film Unit (RFU). He directed Out of the Night for the RFU in 1941. The film documents the training of blind people so they can follow interesting and useful careers.

Anderson's 1942 documentary for Imperial Chemical Industries, The Harvest Shall Come gave a history of post-Victorian farmers, discussed the effect of the change from an agricultural economy to one based on industry, and gave a cautiously optimistic view of post-war agriculture. The 35-minute documentary, with music by William Alwyn, was sponsored by the Ministry of Information.The Harvest Shall Come was entirely filmed on location, including the interior scenes. It was named "Documentary of the Month" by Documentary News Letter, which called it "the first genuine story film made with the documentary purpose and by documentary method." It has been called "a far-sighted educational treatment of a major social problem."

In 1943 Anderson directed the 20-minute Words and Actions for the RFU.Words and Actions, produced by John Taylor, was made for the British Commercial Gas Association. It stressed the need for total co-operation in war time.

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