Famous Friends

Synopsis

A compilation of six films made by British Transport Films between 1952 and 1962. Volume 6 in the series.

Series

British Transport Films Collection, The: Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2001

Year of production

1952-1962

Subjects

History; Media studies

Keywords

archive films; British Transport Films

Distribution Formats

Type

VHS

Format

PAL

Price

£15.99 inclusive

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

92 min

Year

2002

Sections

Title

John Betjeman goes by train

Synopsis

(1962) John Betjeman’s engaging personality enlivens this journey from King’s Lynn through the wide, flat fields of Norfolk to Hunstanton and the sea. En route we see the unusual half-timbered, unpostered station of Wolferton, the station for Sandringham, and the equally unexpected Snettisham, with its name inscribed in a box hedge.

Duration

10 mins

Title

Artist looks at churches, An

Synopsis

(1959)The artist John Piper selects and describes a church built in each of the last nine centuries, from Norman times to the present day. He reveals the beauty and riches of architecture, decoration, carving and sculpture aged in mellow stone and weathered glass, and celebrates the inspirational skills of the wood carver and the sculptor.

Duration

15 mins

Technical information

Colour

Title

Channel Islands

Synopsis

(1952)Malcolm Arnold provides the music for this leisurely exploration of the attractions offered by the Channel Islands and a glimpse into their history. Jersey is ideal for sport and relaxation, while Guernsey preserves something of a quieter, eighteenth-century atmosphere. The film ends with a journey by boat to Herm.

Duration

15 mins

Technical information

Colour

Title

Journey into history

Synopsis

(1952) A celebration of the England of Hogarth, Gainsborough, Robert Adam and Captain Cook. As the camera moves across outstanding monuments of their work and relics of their achievements from Syon House to Greenwich, members of the Old Vic Company speak appropriate passages from the literature of the mid-eighteenth century. Score by Arnold Bax.

Duration

10 mins

Technical information

Colour

Title

England of Elizabeth, The

Synopsis

(1957) Some of the visible traces of the first Elizabethan era are seen and the spirit of Tudor England is conjured up in a memorable commentary accompanied by a musical score by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Duration

25 mins

Technical information

Colour

Title

Third Sam, The

Synopsis

(1962) In this instructional film Sam Smith is taught to drive an electric locomotive. When his train breaks down, Sam summons up three aspects of his character to deal with the emergency: the nonchalant, the hysterical and, finally, the resourceful. With narration, in typical rhyming monologue, by Stanley Holloway.

Duration

10 mins

Title

I am a litter basket

Synopsis

(1959) A first person narration by a hungry litter basket tired of being ignored daily by commuters who drop litter everywhere but in his gaping mouth. So he starts to forage...

Duration

7 mins

Production Company

Name

British Transport Films

Notes

Some BTF films are distributed by Beulah.

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email

video.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7957 8957

Fax

020 7957 8968

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

 

Available from retail outlets