'A Boy a Girl and a Bike'

geoff_ss

My brother lent me a DVD of this film and it's brilliant. Not in the usual sense but as an historical record of just how bad films used to be just post-war. Well worth a look into the club cycling scene of the late 1940s/early 50s as it probably never was. The vague 'northern' accents are a hoot.

It stars Honor Blackman, a brunette Diana Dors, Anthony Newley and others you may or may not recognise. However, perhaps the biggest star is the Yorkshire Dales where a lot of the club cycling scenes take place.

Recommended if you can get hold of a copy to wile away a dark Winter evening.

Geoff

John C.

It also stars my Dad
he was in the Halifax based cycling club that the film crew used. I don't know anymore about it, my father died over twenty years ago, so if any one has any more information about the cycling club or members still living please get in touch.

the ferry

......could also of inspired the classic Smith's song 'This Charming Man', and c'mon Geoff the film is fantastic never mind "bad".

mr_hippo

By which criteria are you judging the film as 'bad'? Quite often in the terms of cinematography, effects and script, less is more! Gainsborough and other British studios of that era produced many wonderful films - simple story lines with a beginning, middle and an end.
GeoffS-S mentions 'historical record' and indeed it is, Was it representative of cycling clubs in those days? Just compare it with the 1955 British Transport film - Cyclists Special
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kP1KxPjh4RM

geoff_ss

mr_hippo wrote:

By which criteria are you judging the film as 'bad'? Quite often in the terms of cinematography, effects and script, less is more! Gainsborough and other British studios of that era produced many wonderful films - simple story lines with a beginning, middle and an end.
GeoffS-S mentions 'historical record' and indeed it is, Was it representative of cycling clubs in those days? Just compare it with the 1955 British Transport film - Cyclists Special
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kP1KxPjh4RM

One of the best things about the film is the cinematography. The countryside and the town shots are shown to good effect. What I'd call bad is the very weak plot and the wooden acting style. In the same session we watched 'History Boys' and the contrast was huge. Film makers have learned a lot in 50 years.

I've seen the 'Cyclist Special' film as well, and whilst it clearly shows a version of the truth, it's very 'managed'. I doubt if it could survive the close examination TV has has to endure recently over the phone-ins etc. Nor should it, as it's interesting and fairly representative of life in 1955. I was riding a bike in 1955 (and a motor bike a year later) and it was certainly a different world then but, as people are still people, there are lots of similarities.

It's still very worth a look but it wouldn't win any Oscars, even then.

Geoff