This film is part of Free
The Balloon
A creepy clown brings balloons and death in this dreamlike road safety film, along with some not-so-subtle product placement
Children's 1981 10 mins
Overview
If the love child of Alfred Hitchcock and Federico Fellini were commissioned by Slush Puppy to make a road safety film, then this would be it. The mix of high and low camera angles, the music, and the creepy clown with his mysterious balloons all add up to a strangely dreamlike experience. The fact that two kids are apparently struck by cars, but everyone is more worried about burst balloons only adds to the almost certainly unintended surrealism.
Subjects
Related
Public Information Films
Green Cross Code - He's Great Green Cross Code - He's Great
Public Information Filler 1976 mins
David Prowse (the frame of Darth Vader) appears as the iconic Green Cross Code Man, heaping praise on a young GXC expert.
Yesterday Is over Your Shoulder Yesterday Is over Your Shoulder
Industry sponsored film 1940 8 mins
An enticing government call for men to retrain as skilled engineers to help with the war effort.
Dusty No. 6 : Dusty Says Keep Britain Tidy Dusty No. 6 : Dusty Says Keep Britain Tidy
Public Information Filler 1978 mins
Dusty the kangaroo catches a shadowy figure in the act of dumping an old mattress in this campaigning cartoon
Your Very Good Health Your Very Good Health
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1948 9 mins
Long before the ‘Charley Says’ campaign of the 1970s and ‘80s, another cartoon Charley was used to demystify the newly created NHS.
Mass Radiography Mass Radiography
Public Information Filler 1943 10 mins
TB or not TB – that is the question travelling x-ray screening programmes are out to answer on a large scale
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.
New
Blue Pullman Blue Pullman
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.
The Scene from Melbury House The Scene from Melbury House
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.
Fully Fitted Freight Fully Fitted Freight
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.
Train Time Train Time
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.
This Is York This Is York
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
A Future on Rail A Future on Rail
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.