A retired museum curator writes, I can't help it. So a little research had to happen.
As Mike Costigan pointed out, looking at detail such as shadows clearly indicates that the filming took place over several days. Looking at trees also shows that whilst the original climb took place in March, filming was quite a bit later in the year. If only we had other footage of the film being shot we might find out how the camera crews got up to road, and indeed unmade up track side locations before the Landy had been invented. It can be noted that crew's costume changes from the halfway stop to the triumphant climbing out at the end, it is not easy to see if they are the same people.
The credits are rather modest about who was involved. Thomas Wisdom was indeed better known as Tommy Wisdom, and as well as being a motoring journalist was a very active driver. He drove both in races and in Rallies. Just after surmounting the Cumbrian summits, he and Archie Scott Brown drove a Singer in the final pre-war Le Mans. J. F. Bramley is credited with being Editor of the Austin Magazine but was already prominent in sales and publicity. In 1955 he was promoted to being Export Sales Director for BMC.
G B Screen Services had made promotion films, including for Austin, from about 1935. They were about to get very busy making government films throughout the war. Music is largely Smetana, orchestra and conductor unattributed.
Some of the roads are not unfamiliar to Sevenists, even if they are the easy bits getting to character forming sections on a certain trial. What is remarkable is how little road surfacing had happened across the Lake District as late as 1939. I'd love to drive this route in the 2CV, I'd be less confident about doing it in the Ruby. Is the Austin 8 a hidden trialing possibility? Might it take a confident place in class zero on the Exeter or Lands End next year? The crew's smart phones will be able to record the whole event if that were ever to happen.
As Mike Costigan pointed out, looking at detail such as shadows clearly indicates that the filming took place over several days. Looking at trees also shows that whilst the original climb took place in March, filming was quite a bit later in the year. If only we had other footage of the film being shot we might find out how the camera crews got up to road, and indeed unmade up track side locations before the Landy had been invented. It can be noted that crew's costume changes from the halfway stop to the triumphant climbing out at the end, it is not easy to see if they are the same people.
The credits are rather modest about who was involved. Thomas Wisdom was indeed better known as Tommy Wisdom, and as well as being a motoring journalist was a very active driver. He drove both in races and in Rallies. Just after surmounting the Cumbrian summits, he and Archie Scott Brown drove a Singer in the final pre-war Le Mans. J. F. Bramley is credited with being Editor of the Austin Magazine but was already prominent in sales and publicity. In 1955 he was promoted to being Export Sales Director for BMC.
G B Screen Services had made promotion films, including for Austin, from about 1935. They were about to get very busy making government films throughout the war. Music is largely Smetana, orchestra and conductor unattributed.
Some of the roads are not unfamiliar to Sevenists, even if they are the easy bits getting to character forming sections on a certain trial. What is remarkable is how little road surfacing had happened across the Lake District as late as 1939. I'd love to drive this route in the 2CV, I'd be less confident about doing it in the Ruby. Is the Austin 8 a hidden trialing possibility? Might it take a confident place in class zero on the Exeter or Lands End next year? The crew's smart phones will be able to record the whole event if that were ever to happen.