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Motorway

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

Industry sponsored film 1959 29 mins

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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

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