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Description of film

In this sequence a young girl, Rita, is on her way to school. A very stern and posh lady describes how Rita's clothes have all been made from other discarded clothes.

Context

During World War 2 clothing was rationed as well as food, fuel and other essential items. Saving and re-using clothing was just as important as recycling scrap metal or saving every last scrap of food.

Interesting or important points about the film

The tone of this clip is very severe, with a strong feeling that the lady commentator is asking the audience ‘why aren’t you doing this?’ We get a good sense of how serious the shortages were from this clip, although we might reasonably ask whether people really did go to the lengths stated in the film and also whether it was really was possible to make all of Rita's clothes from cast offs.