Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Speeded-up railway films on BBC.

This is topic Speeded-up railway films on BBC. in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 09-03-2013, 03:55 PM:

These seem to have been a peculiarly British thing. I don't know why, but many of them have been made over the years. Recently, the BBC have presented three of them in a new way:

web page

I can't help wondering what Abel Gance would have made of it. There's nothing new, is there?

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 09-03-2013, 04:27 PM:

When I was a teen the local library had a 16mm print of the 1953 version they would loan out. Nice to see the updates and see how little the landscape has changed. I wish it were the same on this side of the pond.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-04-2013, 10:25 AM:

To reflect the actual speed of most of those trains, they should have slowed it down, Andy Warhol style, and charged you about £5 per frame for the privilege of watching it (£10 per frame if you don't book your viewing six weeks in advance, and £15 per frame if viewing before 9.30am)!

That's my catty remark for the day used up...

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 09-04-2013, 10:35 AM:

Don't forget charging you an extra £100 if you stop the film a few frames before the end.

I very seldom travel anywhere by train now, I'm still hoping to do New York - Chicago next year, but I did use Grand Central rather than National Express coach the last time I went up to Bradford in April. They seemed to be better than most.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-05-2013, 01:29 PM:

My mother did Grand Central between London and York when visiting me once a couple of years ago, and was pleasantly surprised: the train was old but comfortable, not overcrowded and more or less on time in both directions.

As for trains in the US, I'd love to drive the whole length of Route 66 in one direction and then take the Southwest Chief train back again one day, but that would take a serious amount of both time and money.

Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 09-05-2013, 05:17 PM:

It would be nice if they gave the locations for those of us not familiar with the line.

I have traveled the full line, but only to/from Gatwick. The Southern Railway trains on the route were tight in seat width compared with other operators.

Posted by Terry Lynn-Stevens (Member # 7349) on 09-05-2013, 05:29 PM:

Tried to give the film a watch, it was too boring.