BFI

For obvious reasons, Mining Review reports generally looked forward, at the improvements made by new technology or the prospects ahead of newly-refurbished pits. This somewhat wistful film is an exception: it follows two horse-drawn coal deliverymen on their rounds in London, knowing that they're the last of a rapidly dwindling breed.

In just over three minutes, we are shown a typical day in the lives of coalmen Darkie and Joe (their surnames are not given) and their horses Kitty and Storm. They begin early in the morning - as the commentary points out, "a horse needs a good deal more attention than a lorry" - and then do three rounds a day, lugging hundredweight sacks of coal through people's houses and into their back yards.

The treatment emphasises the nostalgic element, with a mournful solo harmonica accompanying evocative shots of the horses trotting through London streets in the early morning light. But the commentary cautions us not to be too sentimental: "Nostalgia's all very well, but it's damned hard work humping sacks of coal." The old ways may be more picturesque, but they're distinctly inefficient compared with modern delivery methods.

Michael Brooke

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