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Poster for The Great Smog of London

The Great Smog of London

2026 · 53 min

A sober, methodical reconstruction that builds quiet dread as an invisible threat closes in on a city.

Directed by
Pierre Sainteny
Genres
Documentary, History, Tv movie
Starring
Chloé Réjon, Valérie Levy, Alain Ghazal
Overview
For five days in December 1952, a thick smog suffocated the British capital causing the death of thousands of Londoners. The health catastrophe lead to a realisation, in Britain and around the world, that air pollution was a serious threat to human health. This documentary reveals what happened, hour by hour, in one of the worst peacetime disasters of the 20th century.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Pierre Sainteny
Genres
Documentary, History, Tv movie
Starring
Chloé Réjon, Valérie Levy, Alain Ghazal
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • death
    • environment
    • politics
    • corruption
    • survival
    Places
    • big city
    Era
    period
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    • documentary
    • true story
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language none
    • Violence none
    • Sex none
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action1
    Horror2
    Humour0
    Realism10
    Romance0
    Tension5
    Darkness6
    Complexity5
    Emotional weight7

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    documentary, history, tv movie
    Directed by
    Pierre Sainteny
    Written by
    Pierre Sainteny
    Starring
    Chloé Réjon, Valérie Levy, Alain Ghazal, Patrick Kuban
    Music
    Olivier Bodin, Benoît Daniel
    Runtime
    53 min
    Country
    France
    Languages
    English, French

    TMDBIMDb