Biography of 'HARPER, Alan James'

Film-maker

Born: June 19, 1903, Edinburgh
Died: 1974, Edinburgh

Harper joined his father Campbell Harper in the family photography business somewhat reluctantly. In the 1930s he persuaded his father to expand into moving film setting up Campbell Harper Films in studios in Alva Street, Edinburgh. The company made documentary, educational and industrial films for a variety of sponsors, many of which found cinema release.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Harper was called up to join the RAF but served only one year due to poor health. On his return home he received commissions to make Home Front propaganda and short information films for the Ministry of Information and the Scottish Office.

The company moved premises in 1946 to new studios at Hill Street, which they shared with the Edinburgh Film Guild. In the 1950s, Harper’s company was one of the first to win commissions from the newly established Films of Scotland producing some twenty two titles over the next fifteen years.

Harper was a member of the Scottish Arts Guild, an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and member of the British Kinematograph Society. On his retirement in 1972 the company was sold as a going concern to Park Film Studios.

Researcher: Carolyn Young

Films associated with 'COCOZZA, Enrico'

39 hits

Asc Desc
	ABERDEEN [2320] Add to my films The historical background to the growth of the city of Aberdeen.		1970 sound col
	AULD TAM McGUIRE [2144] Add to my films The dramatised enactment of a comic poem. [Tam McGuire is played by Duncan Macrae.]		1951 sound bw
	BATHING THE BABY [1346] Add to my films Illustrates how to bathe a baby correctly.		1938 silent bw
	BENEATH THE SKYLINE [3675] Add to my films Beneath the Skyline concerns scenes of industrial, urban, and country life in the Edinburgh area. However these aspects are represented by buildings, machinery, and birds rather than through the people who live there.		1966 sound col
	CALLER HERRIN' [0388] Add to my films Herring fishing off the north- east coast of Scotland ; the film follows the fishing boats from the time they put out to sea to the unloading of the catch at the fish market. It includes shots of fishwives gutting by hand and the process of traditional 'kippering'.		1947 sound bw
	CHILD WELFARE [1349] Add to my films The local authority's maternity and child welfare service in operation, showing the benefits to mother and child.		1938 silent bw
	CITY’S FARMS, the [1348] Add to my films Film showing the hygienic care taken of cows before and after milking at farms owned by Glasgow Corporation. Demonstrates the use of sterilising and pasteurisation to produce a "safe" milk supply for hospitals and tuberculosis sanatoria.		1940 silent bw
	CONTINUATION SCHOOLS [3424] Add to my films Campbell Harper title profiling the Continuation Schools in Edinburgh, a form of further education/apprenticeship training ranging from apprentice shipwrights to apprentice hairdressers.		1945 silent bw
	COUNTRY HOMES [1345] Add to my films How "country homes" for needy children were run, recounted through one child's experience.	Onsite only	1938 silent bw
	COUNTRY OF THE BLIND, the [2002] Add to my films The work of the Scottish National Institution for the War Blinded.		1968 sound col
	DISTANCE NO OBJECT [2044] Add to my films The Cable Belt rope driven conveyor at work.		1959 sound bw
	EDUCATION OF THE DEAF, the [7297] Add to my films Instructional film showing the educational facilities provided by local authorities for teaching deaf children to communicate, with an emphasis on speech. Includes footage of education and leisure activities for deaf children and examples of occupational training in later life.		1937 silent bw
	EPSTEIN: The Memorial Exhibition in Edinburgh [2011] Add to my films Footage of Edinburgh and the Epstein exhibition of sculpture as part of the Edinburgh International Festival.		1961 sound bw
	FARM IS RECLAIMED, a [0490] Add to my films How, with government help and his own good farming sense, a Scottish farmer puts a derelict farm into good heart in one year.		1945 sound bw
	FIBRE WEB, the [2040] Add to my films The processing of the raw materials required for paper-making and some of the end products.		1964 sound col
	FORTH - POWERHOUSE FOR INDUSTRY [1820] Add to my films A look at the development of sources of power, the industries, and new towns along the borders of the River Forth.		1968 sound bwcol
	FREEDOM OF ABERFELDY [0107] Add to my films The town of Aberfeldy during wartime when the women provided a 'home' for Dominion troops on leave.		1943 sound bw
	GOOD HEALTH TO SCOTLAND [0271] Add to my films Made during the war, the film promotes various health measures e.g. ante-natal clinics, school milk, holiday camps for children and inoculation.		1944 sound bw
	GOOD SERVANT, the [2211] Add to my films The story of the Clydesdale horse, from foal to champion at the Royal Highland Show.		1958 sound col
	HERIOT WATT COLLEGE, EDINBURGH [1862] Add to my films A guide to facilities showing students learning diverse techniques at Heriot Watt College, in its Chambers Street buildings, Edinburgh. Subjects include Pharmacy, Optics, Mine Rescue and Engineering.		1938 silent bw
	HIGHLAND CAPITAL [2213] Add to my films Inverness as a focal point for Highland life past and present: from St. Columba and King Bruce to the Loch Ness Monster and the World Pipe Band Championships. (20 mins)		1968 sound col
	J. & P. COATS TRAINING FILM [4140] Add to my films A training film from Coats Thread Makers. The film shows the machines which are used to spin and and put the thread onto spindles. The film was to show employees how to clean and maintain these machines to ensure that they stayed in perfect working order. [no intertitles]	Onsite only	1954 silent col
	LAND LIVED IN, a [2217] Add to my films Castles and country houses in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.		1957 sound col
	L'ANNIVERSAIRE [0848] Add to my films The first film to be made in Scotland by a company of French players speaking their own language, it tells the story of a mother's birthday.		1950 sound bw
	LIFE IN THE ORKNEYS [2009] Add to my films Life on the Orkney islands seen through the eyes of a mail boat skipper, a farmer and a civil air-service pilot. Film includes brief shot of German fleet in Scapa Flow prior to scuttling in 1919 and an aerial shot of the Churchill Barriers.		1957 sound bw
	NEW LIVES [1684] Add to my films Some aspects of the Church of Scotland Extension work are shown in this story of a family's evacuation from an Edinburgh slum to a new housing area, in Pilton.		1939 silent bw
	PASTEURISED MILK [1344] Add to my films The transport, pasteurisation and testing of milk for public consumption.		1938 silent bw
	PROSPECT FOR A CITY [2807] Add to my films Produced to commemorate the bi-centenary of Craig's Plan for the first New Town of Edinburgh, 1767, the film shows the Town's buildings, gardens and monuments.		1967 sound col
	ROYAL SCOTTISH MUSEUM, EDINBURGH [2274] Add to my films The Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, its history and the work of the various departments, etc.		1945 silent bw
	SCOTLAND DANCES [2224] Add to my films The tradition of Scottish Highland and Country dancing, reflecting some of its world-wide popularity.		1957 sound col
	SEED OF PROSPERITY [0495] Add to my films A survey of the condition of potato crops and measures taken to combat their disease.		1946 sound bw
	STAN AND OLLIE [0492] Add to my films Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy sightseeing in Edinburgh where they visit the castle and make an appearance on stage at the Playhouse Cinema.		1932 silent bw
	STOBHILL HOSPITAL: The Story of a Modern Hospital [1347] Add to my films The work of a modern hospital with shots 'behind the scenes' showing the kitchens, dispensary, telephone switchboard and nurses relaxing off-duty.	Full length available onsite	1938 silent bw
	STORY OF TORMORE, the [2795] Add to my films The construction of the Tormore Distillery on Speyside, highlighting some of the aspects of the social and historical setting of the development.		1963 sound col
	SUN, WIND AND RAIN [2038] Add to my films An educational film about the weather.		1968 sound col
	TAY ROAD BRIDGE [2243] Add to my films The building of the Tay Road Bridge from the initial stages to the official opening.		1967 sound col
	TENEMENT WARDEN [1386] Add to my films An illustration of how to cope with an air raid, including first-aid and fire fighting procedures. The film also shows air raid shelters being built and put into practice.		1941 sound bw
	THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN: Activity, Discovery and Learning in Edinburgh Primary Schools [3085] Add to my films Review of experimental teaching techniques in use in Edinburgh Primary Schools - reading library, Cuisenaire rods, elementary science, introduction to French.		1965 sound col
	VIEW FROM THE BASS, a [2913] Add to my films The county of East Lothian, in particular the town of North Berwick and its links with Robert Louis Stevenson. Includes shot of Berwick Law and group of Boy Scouts in kilts climbing it.		1963 sound col