Londonist and Catherine Shoard pointed me to the release online of eight promotional documentaries from the Transport Museum's film archive. I've watched two so far, and they're a treat. From 1962, All That Mighty Heart (yep, Wordsworth) is director David Watkin's film diary of a London day, though there's a significant detour to Stevenage too, reflecting the novel importance of the satellite New Towns.
As with the 1966 World Cup documentary Goal! it reminds me of how a London learning how to swing had only just emerged from the ration book age. The staged performances of "ordinary" people, the received pronunciation of the commentary and general cheery optimism too have a flavour of war time propaganda films. You'll love the happy housewife waving hubbie off to work. That really dates it. But there are bits that date me too. I'd forgotten that we used to ask bus conductors for "three, please". There are clips of light box Tube station indicators you used to see until very recently (I should know this, but do any still survive?). Yet could the high bus-to-car ratio on the streets one day be a case of back to the future? Not under this Mayor, but we can dream.
The contrasts with 1970's London On The Move are quite striking. There's still the paternalistic upbeat tone and RP voiceover, but all the talk is of automation, functional design and closed circuit TV. Plus, a problem: "too much surface traffic." We still haven't cracked that one have we? Incidentally, around the six-minute mark there's a shot of a chap who looks just like David Cameron. Eerie. Have a car-free weekend.
