On and Off the Rails (DVD)

Following the nationalization of transport in 1948, the British Transport Commission set up its own in-house film production unit. Launched on 1st May, 1949, and led for 25 years by Edgar Anstey OBE - a founding father of the British documentary movement - it became one of the largest industrial film units in Britain. This Kino DVD collection presents some of the classics produced by the BTF, including Blue Pullman, Elizabethan Express, Snowdrift at Bleath Gill, and John Betjeman Goes By Train, as well as lesser known gems, such as Under the River, This Is York, and This Year - London. All these films are now preserved by the BFI National Film and Television Archive. This selection has been digitally remastered for this two-disc set, which is a "must" not just for the transport enthusiast, but also for the documentary aficionado who will recognize traits and innovations in British non-fiction filmmaking.