Synopsis

Featuring 14 Classic British Railroading Films

Following the nationalization of transport in 1948, the British Transport Commission set up its own in-house film production unit. Launched on 1st May, 1949, and led for 25 years by Edgar Anstey OBE — a founding father of the British documentary movement — it became one of the largest industrial film units in Britain.

This Kino DVD collection presents some of the classics produced by the BTF, including Blue Pullman, Elizabethan Express, Snowdrift at Bleath Gill, and John Betjeman Goes By Train, as well as lesser known gems, such as Under the River, This Is York, and This Year – London.

All these films are now preserved by the BFI National Film and Television Archive. This selection has been digitally remastered for this two-disc set, which is a "must" not just for the transport enthusiast, but also for the documentary aficionado who will recognize traits and innovations in British non-fiction filmmaking.

1951–1980
United Kingdom
247 min.
B&W / Color
Original Aspect Ratio (1.33:1)

Disc 1 - "On the Rails"

• Blue Pullman (1960)
  UK / color / 23 min.
• Elizabethan Express (1954)
  UK / b&w / 20 min.
• Train Time (1952)
  UK / b&w / 28 min.
• Rail 150 (1975)
  UK / color / 13 min.
• The Diesel Train Driver (1959)
  UK / b&w / 7 min.
• On Track for the Eighties (1980)
  UK / color / 12 min.
• Cybernetica (1972)
  UK / color / 19 min.

Disc 2 - "Off the Rails"

• Under the River (1959)
  UK / b&w / 21 min.
• Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955)
  UK / b&w / 10 min.
• This Year – London (1951)
  UK / b&w / 24 min.
• This Is York (1953)
  UK / b&w / 20 min.
• The Great Highway (1966)
  UK / color / 20 min.
• A Day of One’s Own (1956)
  UK / b&w / 20 min.
• John Betjeman Goes By Train (1962)
  UK / b&w / 10 min.

Educational Reviews

"the films offer a substantial amount of information about British railways, but they’re also fine examples of documentary filmmaking, providing a cinematic window into English social life during the second half of the 20th century that will appeal to historians of popular culture." *** Recommended Video Librarian

Critical Acclaim

But no one - not even the most sincere optimist - can do anything but smile with surprised delight at finding something like On and Off The Rails: The British Transport Film Collection ($29.95; Kino). Fourteen British railroading shorts, including gems like "John Betjeman Goes By Train," "Blue Pullman" and what the liner notes describe with a straight face as "lesser known gems" like This Is York? If anything does, surely this counts as a hidden treasure. And guess what? They're delightful."- Michael Giltz, Huffington Post DVD column

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