Cirencester, Glos. (1924)

Harvesting on Earl Bathurst's Estate using traditional oxen.

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://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_6406.html

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:

• BFI
• 1920s
• agriculture
• Cirencester
• Gloucestershire
• farming
• oxen
• cart
• harvest
• nature
• travelogue

[openfold]

Fabulous. Apart from the men's clothing, that scene had been unchanged for a thousand years. The use of tractors and powered haulage meant it would be gone within the decade.

[VENGEFULSPIRITof911]

I didn't know they had color film in the '20's

[hawking8]

Yesteryear. Never to return. Or so we thought. Peak oil anyone? This may be your grandchildren a few decades from now!

[GoldBloded]

@freethoughtmusic Agreed, those really were the "good old days" England was a beautiful land of hope and glory, it was truely wonderful. If you wish to see more footage i have some on my profile :) Watch my video called "those were the days"

[freethoughtmusic]

In England's Green and Pleasant land (No speed cameras, No Chavs, Far less noise), not that it was perfect, but some things were good.

[KateFan]

Wow. Oxen teams. Never seen that before. Look at the horns on them. Were used long before heavy horses were the latest thing. Now that is a blast from the past.

[MrStablelad]

Fantastic film, Thank you

[chervilann]

This *is* early color film....

[gatheringleaves]

Powerful

[ovechkin100]

lol wow... thats embarrassing... um... they actually didnt.... but they have now learned to restore the color to old films. color TV started in 1966 i believe.