Edinburgh

Bonnie Edinburgh - a picturesque promotional film to attract tourists to the Scottish capital

Directed by Marion Grierson, who ran the film unit of the Travel and Industrial Development Association (TIDA), this short film contains some fine photography of the delights on offer to Edinburgh visitors - including trams, bustling streets, restful parks and some familiar tourist sights.

Despite living in the shadow of her brother John, the founding figure of the British documentary movement, and their tragically short-lived sister Ruby, Marion Grierson herself had an intriguing career in documentary filmmaking. Her style is notable for its inventive use of a sophisticated array of techniques combined with an assured lightness of touch. Her films were seen abroad more than in the UK, which perhaps explains why they are little known today. They provide a varied record of British life, and were nearly all made in the 1930s, at the height of the British documentary movement.