BFI

Taking the viewer on a whirlwind promotional tour of the South East, this imaginative travelogue journeys through Plymouth, Newquay, Falmouth, Penzance, Land's End and St. Ives. The film presents a diverse view of the area, from its dramatic rocky coastlines to its picturesque beaches and quiet harbours. It also presents a few odd sights, such as a shipwrecked military vessel deserted against a cliff, or an old brick postbox at the edge of a precipice. The idyllic sights are designed to attract tourists, and as a result Cornish life is portrayed as almost purely recreational, with many relaxing carefree on the beaches or playing in the sea.

The film was sponsored by the Great Western Railway in order to stimulate interest in the area and generate business, and there are naturally moments of obvious GWR product placement. Their products are nevertheless used inventively during a spectacular 'phantom ride' (a film dangerously shot from the front of a train), which carries the viewer over the Royal Albert Bridge and presents a magnificent panorama of both the landscape of Saltash and the dizzying drop into the River Tamar below.

Christian Hayes

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