This film is part of Free
Let's Go to Birmingham
Paddington to Birmingham in five and a half minutes! A sped up journey filmed from the front of the train.
Overview
In 1952 the BBC produced a short novelty film under the title London to Brighton in Four Minutes. Filmed from the front of a train at two frames per second and then run at the standard 24, it gave the illusion of a spectacularly high-speed journey. This technique proved so popular with audiences that it was copied many times by other film units. Let’s Go to Birmingham was British Transport Films’ first attempt.
To the accompaniment of Johann Strauss’s Perpetuum Mobile, the film speeds the viewer from Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill in five and a half minutes – at about 960mph! Inside the train, passengers eat and drink, sleep or read, oblivious to the giddy speed at which they seem to travel. Shot from the cab of one of British Railway’s new 90mph Diesel Luxury Express Blue Pullmans, this film is a wonderful time capsule from the steam-to-diesel crossover period, as seen from the driver’s view.
Related
Midland Journey Midland Journey
Travelogue 1947 17 mins Location: Warwick
Tourist promo film extolling the delights of Birmingham and the Midlands, with a sprinkling of arch one-liners.
Birmingham University Procession on Degree Day (1901) Birmingham University Procession on Degree Day (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 9 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
Female graduates and gents sporting spectacular Edwardian whiskers take part in Birmingham’s first Degree Day ceremony.
Employees Leaving Tangyes Engineering Works, Smethwick (1901) Employees Leaving Tangyes Engineering Works, Smethwick (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 3 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
Exuberant scenes of engineers and machinists at the famous Cornwall works near Birmingham.
Easter Holiday Activities Easter Holiday Activities
News 1957 6 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
Out and about across the Midlands to see what people do with their Easter Monday holiday. Spring is in the air with time for swimming, funfairs and a good honest pint.
Spaghetti Junction Story Spaghetti Junction Story
News 1972 9 mins Location: Gravelly Hill
C2963 or Gravelly Hill Interchange or Spaghetti Junction? The public's name is going to be the one that sticks as a little bit of Los Angeles arrives in Birmingham.
Birmingham Centenary Pageant 1938 Birmingham Centenary Pageant 1938
Non-Fiction 1938 7 mins Silent Location: Aston
Local news coverage of the wonderful (and very weird) parades and performances staged in Brum to celebrate 100 years since incorporation.
All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
Documentary 2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.