High Wide And Faster

Series

Series Name

Look At Life

Issue

Issue No.

244

Date Released

1964

Length of issue (in feet)

1646

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1High Wide And Faster

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 1

Summary

BFI synopsis: A survey of some current developments in road and rail transport engineering in Britain, with some information on new port facilities. Views of the M6 Motorway viaduct at Gathurst, Lancs. (70); the M4 flyover on the Great West Road under construction (86); various shots of concrete construction; wire frames, men levelling and surfacing (113); traffic and construction work on the flyover (131). Queues of traffic (160); lorry with heavy load on road into Manchester (180); shots of ports, and roads to London docks (194). Britain’s transport system is outdated and inadequate, and steps are being taken to make it more efficient. Trucks going into the docks (204); a railway goods yard (225). HAS new marshalling yard at Carlisle (235). Exteriors of 11 London rail termini (compared with only 2 in New York; commentary points out that traffic volume on Southern region is greater than total of major rail networks in the USA and Canada). Crowds leaving platforms during rush hours, and a few during off-peak periods (300). Abingdon station, Berks; train leaving (311). Passengers getting on to the MIDLAND PULLMAN; the train pulling out; service in the restaurant car; conductor using loudspeaker to keep passengers informed; examples of luxury facilities provided - venetian blinds, reclining seats, etc. (431). Loading the CONDOR - express goods-train between London and Glasgow; the train going out (474); The Ministry of Transport building in London (483); int. offices; men with maps of transport system (505). Visitors to the opening ceremony of a section of the M6 (29.7.63) (517); Ernest Marples making speech (522); the commemorative stone (529); Marples looking at the stone (532). Cars speeding along M6 (557). The M6 Thelwall Bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, a barge passing underneath (568); various shots of bridge and traffic (584); S.S. BANNISTER going underneath (610); motorway (618). Int. the control room of the Carlisle marshalling yard; shots of apparatus (633); view of yard (638); operator pressing buttons in control room, goods vans moving (662); train driver talks to operator by RT (677); shots of and from moving wagons (704). A coal truck unloaded by a mechanical tilting device (739). Railway workers moving small crates on hand trolleys (747); rail ferry wagons (770). At Cliffe, Kent: cement weighed and loaded into special rail tankers (828). The new Langton-Canada dock at Liverpool, and the S.S. ADVENTURER berthed there (855); other shipping; the ADVENTURER being guided out of its berth by an officer with a loud-hailer (874). The QUEEN ELIZABETH in Southampton (890); excavating for a new dock (904). Excavating for another section of the M6 (932); a surfacing machine (951). The London end of the M1 (956). Caravan site - road workers and their families (1002). Shots of excavations (1023). Looking down over the Heads of the Valley (?) road in South Wales (1030); spanning the gorge with a new bridge (1060). Bridges over the M6 (1119). Members of the Royal Fine Arts Commission examining a model of a proposed new flyover (1137). Bridge under construction (1147). The old Forth Bridge; PAN to the new one being built (1160); other shots of the new bridge (1180), and of both (1192). The Medway Bridge (1228). Tunnelling under the Thames, and laying concrete for the Dartford Tunnel (1268). A traffic jam (1287); signs for one-way-street systems, and traffic in Tottenham Court Road and elsewhere in Central London (1320). New "continental" road signs (1336). Constructing a steel "umbrella" in the road at Oxford Circus, so that work could be carried out on the underground station below the street (1390); traffic going over the new surface (1415). Official cars arriving for the opening of part of the M2 (1425); Ernest Marples with local dignitaries (1442); Marples pushes a button (1448), and the barries go up, watched by the road workers (1457). A sign for one of the motorway service areas showing the facilities available; a service area garage (1474). Marples unveils a plaque on a mosaic map of the Medway area: the plaque records the opening of the M2 service area at Farthing Corner (29.5.63) (1491); int. restaurant (1503). M2 approach sign (1512). A motorway express bus (1537). Goods train (1556). Cars pulling into driveway (1578); new Morris 1100s in factory yard at Coventry (?) (1604); the CLAN MALCOLM in dock (1612); loading a Jaguar car onto a ship (1623); goods trains at docks (1635). Aerial view of motorway (1636). TAKE A LOOK AT LIFE AGAIN SOON (1646 ft).

Researcher Comments

Look At Life Series 19 comprises Issues 235-247. This issue is double-length, comprising two reels.

Keywords

Railways; Transport; Road transport; Engineering

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
The British National Film Catalogue   Vol.1, 1963, p.64
British Movietonews Listing

Credits:

Production Co.

The Rank Organisation Special Features Division

Commentator

Tim Turner

Support services

Wilfred Greatorex

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name

Reuters Archive Licensing: Screen Ocean

Email

info@screenocean.com

Web

http://reuters.screenocean.com/

Phone

+44(0)1954 262052

Address

124 Horseferry Road,
London
SW1P 2TX

Notes

British Pathe Ltd (qv) also handles the Reuters Historical Collection, which includes the British Paramount, Empire British, Gaumont Graphic and Gaumont British newsreels.

Series held

View all series held by Reuters Archive Licensing: Screen Ocean

Name

British Film Institute (BFI)

Email

For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7580 7503

Address

21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN

Notes

The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).

Series held

View all series held by British Film Institute (BFI)