Target for Tonight

For the similar 1943 American propaganda film of World War II, see Target for Today.

Target for Tonight
Pre-release theatrical poster
Directed byHarry Watt
Produced byHarry Watt
StarringRoyal Air Force personnel
Edited byS. McAllister
Music byCentral Band of the Royal Air Force
Production
company
Distributed byBritish Ministry of Information
Associated British Film Distributors
Release date
  • 25 July 1941 (1941-07-25)
Running time
48 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£7,000[1]
Box office£100,000[1] or £245,453 (UK)[2]

Target for Tonight (or Target for To-Night) is a 1941 British World War II documentary film billed as filmed and acted by the Royal Air Force, all during wartime operations. It was directed by Harry Watt for the Crown Film Unit. The film is about the crew of a Wellington bomber taking part in a bombing mission over Nazi Germany. The film won an honorary Academy Award in 1942 as Best Documentary by the National Board of Review.[3] Despite purporting to be a documentary there are multiple indicators that it is not quite as such: film shots include studio shots taken from the exterior of the aircraft looking into the cockpit whilst "in flight"; several stilted sections of dialogue are clearly scripted; on the ground shots of bombing are done using model trains; and several actors appear, including Gordon Jackson as the young rear gunner.[4] The film does give a unique insight into the confined nature of the Wellington's interior and some of the nuances of day to day operation such as ground crew holding a blanket over the engine while it starts to regulate oxygen intake.

  1. ^ a b "Australia's film future lies in documentaries". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria: National Library of Australia. 14 August 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  2. ^ James Chapman ‘The Billings verdict’: Kine Weekly and the British Box Office, 1936–62' Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 20 Issue 2, Page 200-238, p 210
  3. ^ "Target for Tonight (1941)". BFI. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  4. ^ Milton, Nicholas (31 July 2024). Children's Propaganda Games of the Second World War: Playing and Collecting Nazi and Allied War Games. Pen and Sword History. ISBN 978-1-3990-6101-8. Retrieved 18 July 2024.