This film is part of Free

Title of error

See Help

Motorway

A striking report on the construction of the London-to Birmingham motorway.

Industry sponsored film 1959 29 mins

Overview

Britain's first long-distance motorway, the M1, was a monumental construction project, made harder by a harsh winter and a flooded summer. This epic job's filmic potential wasn't lost on lead contractor John Laing & Son, who had a proud history of in-house filmmaking - and a clear interest in promoting its achievement. Motorway has sections of real imagination and ambition: notably a sequence showing the start of construction, shot from low and oblique angles to make the imposing diggers seem like true monsters.

Some spectacular helicopter shooting along the length of the road demonstrates the scale of the job, although some might think they also reveal the extent of the scar the construction made on the landscape.

Genres

Industry sponsored film

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Subjects

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.