This film is part of Free

No Short Cut

This paean to the virtues of the Cycling Proficiency test is unusually told from the point-of-view of the bicycles themselves.

Children's 1964 17 mins

Overview

This film to promote the virtues of the National Cycling Proficiency Scheme is unusually told from the point-of-view of two twin bicycles. Each has a rider with a contrasting attitude to road safety; cocky Les is a carefree cyclist while Jimmy follows the rules of the road.

What’s refreshing is director Anthony Simmons’ seemingly ambivalent attitude to the overall safety message – young Jimmy is portrayed as an archetypal goody-two-shoes, while cheeky Les never really gets much of a comeuppance from his actions, escaping from his dramatic accident without a scratch. This stance may reflect Simmons own unorthodox tendencies, spread across a career stretching from entertaining documentary shorts like Bow Bells to a handful of intriguing features (The Optimists of Nine Elms, Black Joy) and high-profile TV work.