Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lancashire (1926)

Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' is available to buy on DVD at http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_6406.html

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/

You can watch the whole of 'The Open Road' and over 1200 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:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Open
• Road
• travelogue
• Blackpool
• fairground
• Lancashire
• Leisure
• Holidays
• 1920s
• Twenties

[MaxxFrost]

This is not only in color, it's in 3D. Notice the red and blue around the edges of some objects. Watching with 3D glasses does show depth. Whther this is intentional or a byproduct of the film type that was used, I don't know. But it is in 3D.

[BFIfilms]

@MaxxFrost The colour fringing is a by-product of the Friese-Greene process, whereby the film was shot with each alternate frame being passed through a red or green filter mounted on a rotating wheel in front of the lens. This worked well for static objects, but if they were moving, this caused colour fringing - which was one of the reasons why Friese-Greene's colour process was never adopted commercially. The film is definitely not in 3D, since the film was shot through just one lens.

[miffykitty666]

:D amazing video!

[davemirra145]

@M4OON yeh because it burnt down! haha valhalla=best water ride i have ever been on!

[M4OON]

Valhalla now stands on this spot where this 'reel' was !

[M4OON]

Valhalla now stands on this spot !

[mrbubbles338]

Did they recolour this video or something

[john111257]

classic footage..

[Kattymieoww]

Aww I remember in the 70's and 80's just going into the pleasure beach to ride the grand national etc,just because our boarding house was so near.Shame that they have closed off folk,just wanting to take one or two rides.

[PleasureBeachFTW]

@davemckiernan The staff at PB are superb this year. People would moan more if they started to charge full price to walk around so this way is fantastic IMO.

[davemckiernan]

@PleasureBeachFTW Hey that's fine. I find it frustrating that everywhere seems to be charging more and more for what we had before and yet staff levels always seem to be in decline. I know we have to be more competetive nowadays, mainly due to privatisation, but everything seems to be run in an increasingly 'skeletal' fashion today. I used to be a contractor for BPB and the staff were always very friendly there. My argument was more of a general one against modern trends than against BPB, sorry.

[PleasureBeachFTW]

@davemckiernan Also to add they are getting two more family attractions next year. I am very sorry you have your opinion I have mine. I just get annoyed when people slag Pleasure Beach off as I am a big fan Amanda Thompson is doing a fantastic job, the place looks better than ever and BTW the PB pass has made the park a lot more friendlier for families. Once again, Sorry for the trouble