This film is part of Free
Night Call
Stylish 70s road safety film with a sting in the tail.
Overview
Who is the driver of the Black Ford Granada saloon? There's a shade of Tales of the Unexpected to this polished, Gothic-tinged road safety film, in which a driver's obsessive quest to learn the identity of the 'perfect driver' he spots on the motorway has deadly consequences. Viewers might see the twist in the tail coming, but there's plenty of atmosphere, real 70s style and a dash of humour (intentional and otherwise) in the telling. Intriguingly, Night Call borrows a trick or two from Steven Spielberg's tense early thriller Duel (1971).
Director Ferdinand Fairfax had worked on several features as an assistant director to the likes of Don Chaffey, J. Lee Thompson and cult trash auteur Pete Walker. As a director in his own right, Fairfax worked for the National Coal Board and Shell film units before moving into filmed television drama in the late 1970s. Two years before Night Call, he turned in a similarly idiosyncratic road safety film for the Department of the Environment, The Motorway File (1975), presented by Edgar Lustgarten. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
Riding on Air Riding on Air
Documentary 1959 16 mins Location: London
A beautiful and evocative survey of cycling's golden years.
The Fatal Floor The Fatal Floor
Public Information Filler 1974 1 mins
Typically hard-hitting public information film about the threat posed by combining a rug and a freshly polished floor.
Handkerchief Drill Handkerchief Drill
Public Information Filler 1949 1 mins
Another of Richard Massingham’s snappy public information fillers finds the oafish everyman’s personal hygiene in question again.
District Nurse District Nurse
Government sponsored film 1952 27 mins Location: Wadhurst
Never a dull moment for a rural district nurse in the early days of the NHS.
Race Relations Board Race Relations Board
Public Information Filler 1969 1 mins
New law targets discrimination in housing and employment in this eye-opening public information film.
The Smoking Machine The Smoking Machine
Documentary 1964 16 mins
Documentary warning children about the drawbacks of cigarettes – not least their addictiveness.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.