Edgar Anstey

Electric Eskimo (1979)

A young Eskimo boy accidentally gets hit by a mysterious ray during a secret British experiment and finds that he is now electrified. ...

Age of Invention (1975)

Examines Britian's industrial heritage, concentrating on the period between 1708 and 1850, and showing many examples of surviving relics of the period. ...

Midland Country (1974)

Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire - eleven Midland counties which can offer the holidaymaker a variety of pleasures and so ...

The Scene from Melbury House (1973)

As a training exercise for their apprentice camera operators, British Transport Films used surplus roll end length of film to record the daily lives of their neighbours from the roof of their building Melbury House. ...

Britannia: A Bridge (1973)

Part of BFI collection "Running a Railway. ...

Journey Inter-City (1972)

A cheerful and very colourful pastiche of live action with combined graphics set to the music of Muir Mathieson. This film typifies the image British Rail was keen to transmit during the early part of the 1970s. It marked the start of the age of the train, ...

A Day with SELNEC (1972)

SELNEC is the largest public transport system in Britain, outside London, covering South East Lancashire and North East Cheshire. The film shows some of the things which go on during a typical SELNEC DAY, from daily bus operation to parcel delivery and bus ...

Golfers in a Scottish Landscape (1971)

Two visitors enjoying Scotland, an enthusiastic but inexperienced golfer improving on the world's greatest courses; his wife exploring spectacular places visited by the first known lady golfer in history - Mary, Queen of Scots. The commentary of Scot's act ...

Railways for Ever! (1970)

A poet's eulogy to his beloved mode of transport. ...

Rail Report 11: Rails Conserve the Environment (1970)

Report No. 11 in a series of 13 topical films. Because 1970 was European Conservation Year, this issue of the Rail Report Series was devoted to examples of what railways in Britain are doing to help conserve and improve the national environment. ...

London on the Move (1970)

How the London Transport Board, with the aid of modern technology, is tackling the problems brought about by an ever increasing volume of traffic. Collected in BFI's "London on the Move. ...

The Site in the Sea (1970)

Building a new harbour at Port Talbot - it's a man's world in which the only females are a dredger and two seafaring vessels. ...

People in Railways (1970)

A compilation film about the complex railway systems of Great Britain, demonstrating the work and individual responsibilities of many departments. ...

Rush Hour (1970)

Time lapse photography shows the swarm of commuters at London Waterloo station racing about at top speed. ...

The Victoria Line Report No. 5: London's Victoria Line (1969)

The final episode of five reports on the construction of the Victoria Line in London. This one is edited highlights from the first four with very little new information. ...

British Rails Are Long and Fast (1969)

Intended as a sales tool for manufacturers, this short film details the production installation and maintenance for long welded track in use on British Railways. ...

Rail Report 9: Top Levels of Transport (1969)

Report No. 9 in a series of 13 topical films, covering: Euston; ships - Freightliner II, Antrim Princess; container handling Parkeston Quay; Merry-go-round coal trains; permanent way lining and tamping machine; off loading cable troughing; strengthening th ...

A Tale Out of School (1969)

The story of a journey from the Yorkshire Dales to Switzerland via Dover and France, made by a party of schoolgirls showing how British rail contributes to a smooth, comfortable journey. ...

Rail Report 8: The New Tradition (1968)

Report No. 8 in a series of 13 topical films, produced since the far reaching plan for the modernisation and re-equipment of British Railways in 1955 started to take effect, to log the many developments - new services, equipment, techniques - wherever thes ...

Travelling Sixties (1968)

Packaged holidays for the elderly: a party of 'senior citizens' (60-plus) on a holiday which includes a special train from Newcastle to the Isle of Wight. ...

Second Nature (1967)

Electrification, and the raiIway men of Rugby adopt new methods and use new machines. In this film they tell in their own words of the great technological changes and the human problems of adapting which each has to face. As with seamen and farmers, railwa ...

Rail Report 7: Speed the Payload (1967)

The film's contents are as follows: Merry-go-round coal trains - between collieries and power stations; Motorail; stations - Birmingham New St., Durham, Sunderland, Kirkcaldy; hovercraft - Isle of Wight service; Cartic car-carrying wagon; testing of wagon ...

The Driving Force (1966)

Britain operates the most experienced diesel and electric railway in tne world. A century and a half ago she invented the steam engine and introduced a new system of transport; and in only nine years British Rail and the British locomotive industry designe ...

Forward to First Principles (1966)

There have been railways in this country for over three hundred years. In the nineteenth century, railways spread across Britain and changed the geography, history, economy, and the life of a nation, but already there existed primitive railways for moving ...

Wild Wings (1966)

Exploration of the Slimbridge Wild Fowl Trust in Gloucestershire, England, which boasts the largest collection of living wild fowl in the world. ...

Glasgow Belongs to Me (1966)

An Englishman has just got off the train at St. Enoch Station and is asking a cab driver to show him around Glasgow. Naturally, the cab driver is happy to oblige and the visitor gets to see the City first hand. ...

Rail Report 5 (1965)

Behind Britain's railway modernisation lies research, design and development. Research ensures in various ways that passengers travel fast, safely and in comfort. Design and development yield new vehicles, equipment and methods; from motor-car conveyors to ...

The Hostellers (1965)

Two keen hostelling youths, Ken Moody and Brian Cotton, convert a boat in their native Selby into a youth hostel, and get the chance to air their views on the direction that hostelling is taking in the mid-1960s. ...

Down to Sussex (1964)

Sussex - A country rich in scenic beauty and history. South Down and Weald - open space and green woodland. This is Sussex, a county rich in scenic beauty, seaside resorts and international events; peaceful downland villages and fertile weald. History show ...

Driving Technique: Part 1 - Passenger Trains (1964)

A BAFTA award winning documentary focussing on how drivers are trained to drive new electric trains in the UK. ...

We're in Business Too! (1964)

Sets out to persuade businesspeople of the advantages of going from city to city by train. How it gives them time to relax, work or sleep in comfort. ...

A Hundred Years Underground (1963)

A film looking at the first 100 years of the Underground Railway in London from 1863 to 1963. A range of well known people and senior managers speak alongside some excellent archive film. ...

Thirty Million Letters (1963)

Thirty Million Letters is a 1963 short documentary film directed by James Ritchie and made by British Transport Films. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. ...

Snow (1963)

Comprising train and track footage quickly shot just before a heavy winter's snowfall was melting, the multi-award-winning classic that emerged from the cutting-room compresses British Rail's dedication to blizzard-battling into a thrilling eight-minute mo ...

North to the Dales (1962)

The Yorkshire Dales - 'from which no traveller wishes to return'. Sheltering under the Pennines, the Dales have escaped the human ravages of time. There is magic here; skysweeping hillsides and weirdly weathered rocks; Wensleydale cheese; ruined abbeys and ...

London for a Day (1962)

Impressions of a great city from daybreak to dusk. A roving camera and smooth theme music say more than words. London's traditional sights - Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Royal Parks, the Zoo, etc., await their visitors in the early morning. Whi ...

...All That Mighty Heart... (1962)

A day in the life of London and the Home Counties in 1962, seen from the perspective of the use of London Transport facilities from buses and tubes to long distance coach routes, accompanied by extracts from BBC radio. ...

The Signal Engineers (1962)

A film about one of the most responsible and professional jobs on British Railways. Practical work in shop and signal box, on gantry and trackside, coupled with instruction in mechanics, electricity, electronics and draughtsmanship, lead the apprentice int ...

Terminus (1961)

This fly on the wall-style documentary from 1961 won an Oscar for best documentary, and shows the changing patterns of human emotions during 24 hours in the life of Waterloo Station. ...

Wild Highlands (1961)

The flora and fauna of the Scottish highlands, including footage of ospreys, and stags in Argyle. ...

They Take the High Road (1960)

The work of a team of men who tackle a special British Road Services job in the treacherous terrain of the Scottish Highlands. ...

Blue Pullman (1960)

Blue Pullman is a 1960 short documentary film directed by James Ritchie, which follows the development, preparation and a journey from Manchester to London on new British Railways Blue Pullman units. As with earlier British Transport Films, many of the per ...

A Letter for Wales (1960)

Donald Houston plays a Welshman who tells the story of what it's like to live in small town Wales and how the train service helps. ...

Diesel Trainride (1959)

Through the forward-looking windows of the new diesel multiple-unit trains reveals a new world of signs, signals and railway sights to those who ride behind the driver. For children, particularly, find this is a fascinating experience. This film communicat ...

An Artist Looks at Churches (1959)

On the shortest journey you pass a church or two. Out of the 20,000 churches in Britain, the artist, John Piper, whose work contributes to the glory of England's churches, selects and describes a church built in each of the last nine centuries, from Norman ...

Groundwork for Progress (1959)

A documentary examining the modernization of Britain's railways through large-scale engineering and infrastructure renewal. ...

Care of St Christopher’s (1959)

'St Christopher's - for the children of Railway Servants'. About a hundred children are cared for at this Derby railway orphanage and this film gives a selection of scenes from a typical day: the breakfast mail, a boy with a problem, a girl with a worry, a ...

The Coasts of Clyde (1959)

A short documentary. ...

Under Night Streets (1958)

After the last train at night and before the first in the morning, 800 people are hard at work behind the scenes making London's Underground fit to travel on. Including brushing dust from ventilation ducts, 'fluffers' cleaning up rubbish, routine rail repl ...

Between the Tides (1958)

Between the Tides is a 1958 short documentary directed by Ralph Keene for British Transport Films.It is a study of the animal and plant life of Britain's shores. The film show the fascinating and colourful marine life of shoreline and rock pool, filmed in ...

Giant Load (1958)

A 200-ton transformer is moved by road from Hayes, Middlesex, to Iver, Bucks. Behind the story of the journey there is another tale: the problems which had to be solved before the task could be undertaken. This background story is told by the voices of tho ...

A Desperate Case (1958)

A cautionary tale of a typical holiday suitcase. Crammed beyond its capacity, imperfectly fastened, inadequately and confusedly labelled, the railways transport it from station to station, seeking its true abode. Finally, one of its owners comes to the nig ...

Journey Into Spring (1958)

Journey into Spring is a 1958 British short documentary film directed by Ralph Keene, and made by British Transport Films. The film -- partly a tribute to the work of the pioneering naturalist and ornithologist Gilbert White (1720-1793), author of The Natu ...

Coaching Holiday (1958)

A short film focusing on the account of a coaching tour told by the driver, who attempts to try to create a happy atmosphere and cement friendships. ...

Lancashire Coast (1957)

The holiday attractions of the Lancashire coast, including a beauty contest in Morecambe, Southport flower show and Blackpool Fun Fair. ...

Holiday (1957)

Lively holiday in Blackpool, with jazz accompaniment. ...

Every Valley (1957)

A look at the transport system in the South Wales Valleys and how it effects peoples livelihoods and everyday lives. ...

The England of Elizabeth (1957)

A romantic overview of England in the Elizabethan Age. ...

The Long Night Haul (1956)

The history of the BRS (British Road Services), the general haulage network of the UK. Part of BFI collection "Points and Aspects. ...

Link Span (1956)

Twenty-four hours in the story of the British Railways Channel ferryboats, the 'link spans' directly joining the roads and railways of Britain with those of France and all the Continent. The Lord Warden laden with an assortment of road vehicles from Dover, ...

The Land of Robert Burns (1956)

This short, evocative account of the poet's life is set among contemporary scenes of the people of south-west Scotland as they grow from children to manhood. A representative selection of his songs takes on fresh significance when heard against a backgroun ...

A Day of One's Own (1956)

A random selection of housewives around the UK take a day off from their traditional domestic chores. ...

Any Man's Kingdom (1956)

A documentary showing aspects of long-disappeared rural life in Northumberland in 1953. ...

Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955)

A freight train travelling between Kirkby and Barnard Castle has become snowbound in the Westmoreland hills. The Motive Power, Operating and Engineering Departments go to work with snowploughs to reach the trapped train. ...

Yorkshire Sands (1955)

Light verse and gay music make their own comment on the holidaymakers of the Yorkshire coastline. Between Tees and Humber thousands each year enjoy the sea and the sands, the funfair and the ballroom: for a row or romance, there's something for each! ...

Cine Gazette No. 14: Do You Remember? (1955)

The operation of the London Transport central Lost Property Office at Baker Street. Collected in BFI's "London on the Move. ...

Capital Visit (1955)

A school journey through the city of London as seen through the eyes of the children and their teacher. ...

The Peak District (1954)

The Peak District waits invitingly within a sixty-mile reach of half the population of England. To this green centre of a great industrial area, the first of the National Parks, holidaymakers come throughout the year to enjoy a wide variety of scenery and ...

Elizabethan Express (1954)

Originally intended as an advertising short, this film follows The Elizabethan, a non-stop British Railways service from London to Edinburgh along the East Coast Main Line. A nostalgic record of the halcyon years of steam on British Railways and the ex-LNE ...

East Anglian Holiday (1954)

A tour of East Anglia, with its waterways and low-lying country. ...

The Heart of England (1954)

The Cotswolds are the largest areas of Britain, stretching over a hundred miles from Chipping Camden to the city of Bath. ...

This Is York (1953)

A look at the 1953 transport infrastructure of York. ...

The Elephant Will Never Forget (1953)

A fond farewell to London's trams - whose peculiarly endearing qualities were discovered only at the threat of their disappearance. ...

Ocean Terminal (1952)

Southampton, a deep-water port with four tides a day, is an ocean terminal for the world's largest liners. Their coming and going, and the people who work with them are the subject of this film as they reflect in their personal lives some of the drama and ...

Dodging the Column (1952)

The transporting of a distillation colurm, 137 feet long, 500 miles by road from Greenwich to Grangemouth in Scotland. The commentary, spoken by the rigger in charge and one of the tractor drivers, expresses the humour and resourcefulness with which these ...

Journey Into History (1952)

In the cities of Britain we can travel in time as well as space. This film chooses 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 ...

Away for the Day (1952)

Whether it is a paddle in the sea or a visit to some Roman remains, a day spent watching the countryside go by or an afternoon's inspection of a famous house, a party outing by hired coach can be a real day out. Away For The Day is the story of some coach ...

The Heart Is Highland (1952)

The people of the Scottish Highlands live in small communities set in landscapes of unsurpassed beauty. ...

This Year – London (1951)

A group of workers from a Leicester shoe-making company travel down south for a day in the Smoke. ...

Work in Progress (1951)

Replacing a century-old rail tunnel at Woodhead, co-ordinated road haulage services in Argyllshire, Whitemoor freight marshalling yeard, Bristol bus services and the Calais to Dover cross-channel ferry: these are the subjects of this early BTF production c ...

Berth 24 (1950)

In the Hull Docks, the steamer S.S. Bravo arrives from Gothenburg with cargo. ...

Fenlands (1946)

A look at life in the Fenlands (a coastal, marshy plain in eastern England) in 1940's. ...

The Proud City: A Plan for London (1946)

The original LCC project for the replanning and building of London explained by two architects responsible for the plan, Sir Patrick Abercrombie and JH Forshaw. ...

Crofters (1944)

A look at everyday life in the crofting community of Achriesgill in Sutherland. ...

Debris Tunnelling (1943)

A British documentary on tunneling if a building falls in ruins. ...

Words and Actions (1943)

Information on the different groups and organizations that are there to help the population during wartime. ...

Dustbin Parade (1942)

The film is designed to encourage recycling - which was a key part of the war effort. ...

Collection of Films for the Armed Forces #3 (1941)

How to File (1941)

Listen up, apprentices! Learn how to smooth and shape metal – an important wartime skill. ...

What's For Dinner (1940)

The challenge of what to feed her family weighs on the mind of hard-pressed Mrs Bond in this surreal wartime film made for the Ministry of Food. ...

Enough to Eat? (1936)

Edgar Anstey and Arthur Elton's sponsored documentary on Britain's malnutrition crisis, blending expert testimony (Julian Huxley, J. B. Orr, A. V. Hill/Gowland Hopkins) with school-meal scenes and simple charts to link low income to poor diets and argue fo ...

On the Way to Work (1936)

Propaganda film, capturing "the work of the government's training camps and instructional centres for unemployed men." - NFA catalogue. ...

Housing Problems (1935)

The problem of slum dwellings in the 1930s. ...

Dinner Hour (1935)

Captures the consumption of gas by various large kitchens in London, during a particular dinner hour. ...

Granton Trawler (1934)

Documentary following an Edinburgh fishing trawler, the "Isabella Grieg". ...

6.30 Collection (1934)

Short documentary showing the workings of a large London sorting office. ...

Airport (1934)

A documentary looking at a day at Croydon Airport south of London. ...

Industrial Britain (1931)

Grierson set out to make "propaganda," and this film--with it's voice-over proclaiming the great value of the British industrial worker, without a hint of ambiguity or doubt--fits that category well. The authoritatarian narrator feels out-of-date and unsop ...

Hooray For Holyrood (1986)

Scottish Television's film on the 40th Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1986, starring Robbie Coltrane (a former EIFF chauffeur) and featuring interviews with Bill Forsyth, Samuel Fuller and Barry Norman, among many others. ...

Open Door: The Other Cinema (1977)

Avant-garde appeal on behalf of and made by the adventurous leftist London cinema, The Other Cinema, using the facilities provided by the BBC community programme unit. ...

Before Hindsight (1977)

Newsreels from the '30s constitute the bulk of this fascinating documentary, clearly illustrating that the public was fed an extremely biased view of events: straight propaganda, the stricture to provide entertainment, and the attempt to be objective all c ...