|
In the same way as he did with O Dreamland (1954) in the first Free Cinema
programme, Lindsay Anderson took advantage of the Free Cinema 3 programme to
show another of his short films which had been sitting on a shelf unseen for
several years. Wakefield Express was commissioned in 1952 by the eponymous
newspaper to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Originally intended to be a film
showing how the paper was printed, in Anderson's hands it became a much more
personal study of the communal life of a group of towns in the West Riding area
of Yorkshire. It was the first time Anderson worked with Free Cinema mainstays
John Fletcher and Walter Lassally.
The film follows the local reporters as they travel around the area in search
of newsworthy events: the local rugby tea, a school concert, a constituency
political meeting, the launching of a ship and the unveiling of a war memorial
among others. Although it was made four years before the advent of Free Cinema,
Wakefield Express can be seen as a transition between Anderson's early
'industrial films' like Meet the Pioneers (1948) and his Free Cinema
contributions, especially in the way in which he shows his interest in ordinary
life and people, and expresses his own point of view as a filmmaker. In the
words of the programme note, "there is nothing of the impartiality of the
'general survey' about the film's approach. Its perceptive, humanist outlook
brings enough concern to the communal activities to view them, in turn, with
affection and irony, exasperation and respect."
Christophe Dupin
*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'Free Cinema'.
|
Complete film (32:10)
