Paper and Cardboard is Worth a Lot of Money (1947)

This is actually quite a fun short feature that looks at one of the things we take most for granted. Paper. From mushy beginnings that wouldn’t look out of place in a brewery through a production process that turns it into sheets, envelopes, cartons, boxes - you name it; through to it hitting our shops and our homes, it’s a surprisingly versatile and essential commodity. What happens, though, when it runs out! Reduced to using handbags, gloves and even umbrellas to carry their flour, their fish and their porridge whilst unable to light their household fires and ovens, the public are soon in uproar and promptly march upon the town hall where the minister (Ib Schønberg) warns then that paper is expensive stuff and that they are just going to have to recycle. Thereafter we see a little of the nature of recycling, 1940s style, as the community rallies round and starts collecting just about everything they can to try to alleviate their shortage. It’s a punchy message entertainingly delivered using a few characters that could have straight from an Ealing comedy and is accompanied by a jolly score that even manages to sound a bit more earnest as the paper supply ceases. It’s delivering a crystal clear message that might make for effective viewing now as it uses light-heartedness to make it’s valid point - waste not, want not.