Hyde Park, London (1926)

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:

• BFI
• 1920s
• Admiralty
• Arch
• Hyde
• Park
• London
• Cars

[proleroll]

@ScottishCaledonian

Much like your mother I presume

[XXXMoodiboyXXX]

no fat people

[iangreigconcepts]

Still looks the same doesn't it.

[boxpilot]

now london is infested with pelets and memongs

[ScottishCaledonian]

Now London is infested with negros and Muslims

[superhamzah85]

There may have been little to no fat people.

But think about it for a little longer, a society where the poor can have the option of becoming obese is MUCH better than a society whose poor have no option at all.

[andysim232]

@XXXMoodiboyXXX hehe no fast food either. Or Concord flying over 2 times a day hehe,

[amarsbarr]

oh my god this is shocking to watch, very amazing

[JAMamation]

ive check out most of these london videos of yours and i have seen the rapid increase in transport from 1903 to 1926. it's quite amazing actually :)

[gabbysbuddy]

And I bet you're a mental retard! Ho Ho!