Duke's Pass near Stirling, Scotland (1926)

A family busking on the popular tourist road. The young boy seems rather reluctant to perform his highland dance.

This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process.

The rather haphazard journey from Land's End to John O'Groats creates a series of moving picture postcards. Look out for shots containing the component colours - red and blue-green - such as when a little girl in a red coat and hat walks among peacocks in the grounds of a castle, and three girls with red curly hair pose by the sea at Torquay.

The car is a Vauxhall D-type - considered a sporty model at the time. A long-distance journey by car was a relatively new concept, with none of the amenities en route now taken for granted. The visit to a petrol station shows smoking on the forecourt: no health and safety issues back then! The travelogue ends with a series of recognisable London landmarks. Much remains the same - one major exception being the volume of traffic on the roads. (Jan Faull)

For more information about 'The Open Road' see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/openroad/

To buy the DVD click here - http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore

You can watch the whole of 'The Open Road' and 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Open
• Road
• travelogue
• Scotland
• Duke's
• Pass
• Stirling
• busking
• family
• children
• dancing
• kilt
• sporran
• bagpipes

[MrJimmyboy1972]

@diveplane i have just driven the dukes pass today. still as hairy, but no buskers. wonderful scenery, but, for the visitors. be careful. its not southern england. weather changes within minutes. take warm clothing and waterproofs, food, water. you dont want to be stuck there without supplies. Happy Motoring, LOL

[diveplane]

LOVELY WEE BOY , this is like stepping out a ufo or time machine amazing.

[nathnmg]

HOW DID YOU GET THAT

[rabioza]

surely pikey, tink, etc is derogatory and tinker is more traditional? i.e. tinkers comes from the fact they tinked on pots and pans?

[scoterpool]

That's a lovely stretch of road, sometimes you still get a piper playing up there in the summer. The road is treacherous in winter, often it will be closed off. One of the most beautiful drives in Scotland I think.

[111chazz]

Whit a bonnie big heelan coo yon is.

[JAKWIK]

i did not mean to be derogatory i grew up with them that all we called them and they called themselves

[MelodeonJohn]

Thats Sandy Stewart and family, the wee boy is wee Davy, Scottish Travellers,

derogatory name is tinkers

[JAKWIK]

tinklers probaly

[cta1boy]

that girl should be older than my grandmother(her just passed away last year).