BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies

Subject: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: Will Fly
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 04:57 PM

For those of you film buffs/historians in the UK (or outside of it, for that matter), I can recommend some fascinating films from the BFI (British Film Institure) website. In particular, their "Britain on Film" collection. You can browse a Google map with pointers on areas or towns for which relevant films exist, and some of the films go back to the early 1900s.

Some are commercial and have to be rented (at a reduced rate for BFI members), but most of the older, amateur documentary style films are free to watch. I've spent a pleasant evening browsing through a number of shorts, of which this one is typical.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: akenaton
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 05:54 PM

Amazing Will, the horse drawn carriages, carts and trams are crossing Glasgow Bridge, going South.
Most Glasgow folks call it Jamaica Bridge as it crosses the Clyde at the bottom of Jamaica street.... Jamaica is a reference to the place where the Glasgow merchants made their money in the 18th and 19th centuries. I've walked over the bridge many times and the spot where the film was shot hasn't changed much.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: akenaton
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 06:21 PM

Almost forgot to mention, the shop directly in front of the camera was called Paisley's a famous Glasgow outfitters....bought my first "good suit" there, late fifties.
They continued to trade till about mid seventies I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 08:00 PM

British Pathe (note the affected "e" at the the end) note also   they have also dropped affected, awkward "co.uk" for the more universal "com."

wwwm.britishpathe.com

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

many is the time during "lockdown" this source provided a blessed alpha state.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 03:45 AM

I too walked over that bridge as a kid in the late '40s and early '50s, though the river Kelvin was our more usual haunt. (We lived in Kelvindale, where my father worked in a paper mill, not far from the north-west gate of the Botanic Gardens).

There's also a good film of the Great Western Road, which I used to walk up on my way to Hyndland School - that brought back memories - with a great shot of the Kibble Palace. I went back to Glasgow 50 years after we left it in 1951 and made a point of strolling on the red gravel path past the classical statues - still there!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: maeve
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 07:52 AM

The collection sounds interesting, Will. Unfortunately the films are "not available" to us in the USA. Thanks for posting it anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 07:59 AM

That's a pity, Maeve - is there anything equivalent to this BFI service in the US?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain on Film - BFI freebies
From: maeve
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 08:08 AM

I've no idea, Will. We loved everything about our visits to the UK, so the collection you mentioned sounded perfect!