Julian Upton stops, looks and definitely listens to this fourth entry in the BFI series of public information films made from the 1940s to the 1990s.
The BFI’s three previous collections of public information films (PIFs) from the archives of the Central Office of Information contained some real gems, and Volume 4 is no exception.
With a safety and welfare focus, COI4’s 27 films warn against a range of perilous situations, from erratic driving to lifts from strange men.
COI4 spans 1949 to 1992, but the PIF really came of age in the 1970s; thankfully, more than half of the films here spring from that decade.
John Mackenzie’s 1977 child safety classic Apaches, about the dangers of unsupervised play on a farm, is surely ripe for rediscovery as one of the best British shorts of its era, while 1973’s Lonely Water, about the dangers of playing too near a river bank, is genuinely unsettling. Never Go with Strangers (1971) underlines its titular warning with alarming scenes of would-be kidnappers’ cars glowing red to signal danger – an iconic image for a generation of children.
It’s not all doom though; there are plenty of upbeat messages here too, and a host of sparky British talent on hand to drive them home.
I Stopped, I Looked and I Listened (John Krish, 1975), 16 mins. A trip down memorylane and some road safety advice for the older pedestrian
llustrated booklet with introductory essay and comprehensive film notes.
Film Description
The fourth volume on the COI collection - Stop! Look! Listen! - focuses on health, safety and welfare messages.
Cautionary tales, motherly advice, celebrity appearances and shock tactics have all been utilised by the COI to prevent us from being: killed on the road; burnt to death; abducted by strangers; crushed by tractors; drowned at sea, and so on.
This release concentrates on the longer films in this area, punctuated by a small selection of some well known short public information films and commercials.
Highlights include: Mind How You Go (1973), Green Cross Code advice courtesy of Valerie Singleton; Drive Carefully Darling (1975), starring Frank Bough and a stellar cast of 'numskulls'; Apaches (1977), massacre on a farm from the director of The Long Good Friday; Betcher! (1971), a young Keith Chegwin takes on a cycling challenge; Never Go With Strangers (1971), sinister stranger danger advice for children; 20 Times More Likely (1979), Gillian Taylforth's puppy love end tragically.
Extras:
* I Stopped, I Looked and I Listened (1975, 15 minutes): a moving trip down memory lane and some road safety advice for the older pedestrian.
* Fully illustrated booklet including comprehensive contextualising notes and essays from academics and film historians.
