But Then Again, Too Few to Mention

This film is part of a project that reimagines a mid century British Council film collection, created to show Britain to the world. To mark its online release, three contemporary UK filmmakers were invited to respond with viewpoints. John Akomfrah, Penny Woolcock and Mark Cousins each approach the archive in a different way, and this entry titled But Then Again, Too Few to Mention: A Life of Bob is Mark Cousins's contribution. Rather than charting a simple life story, he treats the archival shorts as a mirror and a prompt. The piece stitches together fragments from the 1940s and Cousins's observations, using montage, voice and texture to pose questions about memory, identity and the making of cinema without tidy answers.

Directed by Mark Cousins, this piece is part of the British Council's online Film Collection. It references some 120 short documentaries from the 1940s as a framework for Cousins to present a personal reading of Britain's archival film heritage. It signals a dialogue between past and present cinema and invites viewers to consider how archival frames become personal meanings.

Reception frames the work as an essay like meditation rather than a conventional biography. It foregrounds memory and national storytelling, using the figure of Bob as a touchstone rather than a full portrait. Viewers weigh archival material, Cousins's narration, and the rhythm of images to form their own sense of what a life in cinema can mean. Its use of voice over and montage requires patience and invites active interpretation.

Box office data for this documentary are not widely reported. It circulates mainly through online releases and festival programming rather than traditional theatrical success, reflecting its role as a curatorial inquiry rather than a commercial product.

Awards and nominations are not prominently listed for this piece in major circuits. Its value lies in its role within Mark Cousins's broader engagement with film heritage, offering a reflective dialogue about how archives shape memory and identity rather than seeking prize recognition.