This film is part of Free

Title of error

Spotlight on the Highlands

It's 1948 and hydro-electric power is transforming Scotland's Grampians.

Documentary 1948 18 mins Silent

Overview

It's 1948 and a new power is transforming the Grampians. This pacey and informative film, centred on the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme, is romantic in its way, extolling intrepid engineering and rather quickly glossing over the down sides of progress. Its highlights are exciting sequences where a purely visual drama of industry plays out as man and machinery meet and overpower the elements.

Commentator Stewart MacPherson was Canadian, but was based in Britain since 1936 and a familiar voice to BBC radio listeners. This is one of some 50 issues of Rayant Pictures' 'Spotlight...' series, each briskly covering a different topic - from fairgrounds to the football pools. Distributed into cinemas in the same package as feature films from 20th Century Fox, they were basically a cross between the inoffensive travelogues and 'interest' films that padded the cinema programmes of the day, and more inquisitive, topical and punchy current affairs series like The March of Time and This Modern Age.

Genres

Documentary

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Highland

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Watch for free

New Perspectives: Fish Tank New Perspectives: Fish Tank

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Adam Smith of Northumbria University explains why Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age story, about a girl who uses dance to escape, is his favourite film on BFI Player.