Forum menu
Got an hour-and-a-half spare?
There’s this film from 1949. I’d not heard of it before, but for those of a certain age, it features a young Honor Blackman, Diana Dors, Anthony Newley and Thora Hird.
There’s a lot going on, mind. Expect a heady cocktail of:
Bike racing (woollen tops, goggles and short shorts)
A stolen bicycle racket at the LBS
Illegal gambling
Motorist/cyclist angst
Campfire singalongs
Internal cable routing
Class war
A love triangle
BSA product placement
A puppy bought on a whim
A bad boy turned good
Housing shortages
Plenty of “Any road up”s and “Give over”s
Weapons-grade smoking
Empty roads
Some GLORIOUS Yorkshire Dales scenery (in black-and-white)
Oh, and desertion.
Is the opening scene the first recorded punishment pass?
Cool. Epic sprint finish into Skipton High Street too!
Do basically a remake of Schindler's list?
I enjoyed that.
Pmsl at ‘weapons grade smoking’
That was great!
I watched it with my (non cycling) wife. She enjoyed it 😀
Don't forget to look out for the BBC's poster boy Jimmy Saville in the final racing scenes. Rolf Harris couldn't make it.
The film is a minor classic if you like bikes.
Sounds like a must watch! I love British cinema from the first half of the last century.
Don’t forget to look out for the BBC’s poster boy Jimmy Saville in the final racing scenes.
Blimey! 1:22:00 for any other Savile aficionados 🙂
Rolf Harris couldn’t make it.
In 1949 he was still living in the penal colony.
Oh Lordy... Now, I did not know that...
