This film is part of Rentals
Wheels of Life
Bonkers bikes promo. They don't make 'em like this any more... or do they?
Overview
This fun silent promo for Raleigh bicycles combines a splendidly silly story with ace footage of steel bike production. Our hero, an upright chap recovering from a nervous breakdown, recalls a dream about Sir Walter Raleigh (as you do...) and duly takes up cycling, putting himself on the road to recovery. Fascinating factory scenes showcase Raleigh craftsmanship.
The dream sequence follows the protagonist's viewing of Sir John Everett Millais' painting The Boyhood of Raleigh, which is held by the Tate. Wheels of Life combines (or collides) two common forms of promotional filmmaking: high-concept fantasy and nuts-and-bolts documentary of production processes. Both had been used for at least 25 years by the time this curio was made, and both are still used in today's digital advertising and 'branded content'. It's the fiction that tends to date, often seeming kitsch, while the actuality footage becomes more intensely fascinating with every passing decade. That's certainly the case here.
Related
Ideal Home Ideal Home
Advert 1961 31 mins Director: Graham Watts
An 'admag' adventure at the Ideal Home exhibition.
Star Impersonations Star Impersonations
Advert 1930 8 mins Silent Director: Harry Hughes
Five British film stars show a talent for mimickry in this quirky film magazine promotion.
Raleigh 'Raincheck' Advert Raleigh 'Raincheck' Advert
Advert 1976 5 mins
Send in the clowns! Raleigh demonstrates its latest cycle safety innovation in unconventional style.
Hercules: Lion Cubs Hercules: Lion Cubs
Advert 1956 1 mins
A pair of cheeky lion cubs star in this animated advertisement for the 'Finest Bicycle Built Today'.
The Program The Program
Biopic 2015 103 mins Director: Stephen Frears
Ben Foster is Lance Armstrong in this kinetic account of the cyclist who fell from grace, from acclaimed director Stephen Frears.
The Kid with a Bike The Kid with a Bike
Drama 2011 87 mins Director: Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
The Dardennes' powerful, award-winning drama tells of a troubled and volatile young teenager abandoned by his dad and 'adopted' by a hairdresser
Skid Kids Skid Kids
Action and Adventure 1953 49 mins Director: Don Chaffey
Young 'Swanky' Clarke, leader of the Burton Bullets Cycle Speedway Club, foils bicycle thieves on the streets of 1950s Bermondsey.
Raleigh 'Raincheck' Advert Raleigh 'Raincheck' Advert
Advert 1976 5 mins
Send in the clowns! Raleigh demonstrates its latest cycle safety innovation in unconventional style.
Hercules: Lion Cubs Hercules: Lion Cubs
Advert 1956 1 mins
A pair of cheeky lion cubs star in this animated advertisement for the 'Finest Bicycle Built Today'.
From Acorn to Oak From Acorn to Oak
Anthology 1938 5 mins Director: Montgomery Tully
A birthday card in film form, celebrating 50 years of the Dunlop pneumatic tyre.
The Taste of Mango The Taste of Mango
Documentary 2023 75 mins Director: Chloe Abrahams
Sleepwalking into submerged depths of memory, a mother’s dream and a daughter’s beckoning, this fascinating film tenderly untangles the knots of the past.
2073 2073
Documentary 2024 83 mins Director: Asif Kapadia
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia's unsettling drama-documentary delivers a powerful commentary on the state of the world today… and tomorrow.
A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things
Biopic 2024 88 mins Director: Mark Cousins
A striking portrait of an artist deserving of greater recognition, directed by Mark Cousins (A Story of Film).
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Documentary 2024 150 mins Director: Johan Grimonprez
Johan Grimonprez’s involving film essay, anchored by the rhythm of American jazz, reveals disturbing truths about the decolonial struggle between global political powers.
No Other Land No Other Land
Documentary 2024 92 mins Director: Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
This powerful documentary from a Palestinian-Israeli collective might be one of the most important films of this year.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.