All posts tagged city on the move

All in a day BBC4 Sheffield documentary

More seventies Sheffield

This fly-on-the-wall-style documentary shows a day in the life of Sheffield in September 1973. There is no commentary, and the only real narrative is the progression of events, with the cameras returning to certain stories – such as a birth, a death and a marriage – throughout the day.

In terms of visual change, there is plenty to look out for. The cooling towers form part of the backdrop; Bramall Lane still has tall floodlights on the corners of the ground; the Peace gardens are the old layout; people are still using outdoor loos; the Black swan (aka the Mucky duck) was still open; and at one point I think you can spot the now-demolished Kelvin flats.

The local media also feature quite prominently. An audio clip announces that it is ‘Radio Sheffield breakfast magazine edition one’, although with the station going live six years previously, it presumably wasn’t the first incarnation of the breakfast show.

We also get to see behind the scenes at an editorial meeting at Sheffield Newspapers, where the front-page news is that the corporation is to halt council house building and a bread delivery lorry’s brakes have failed, causing it to crash into a Walkley house.

Some of the seventies background music makes scenes from All in a day reminiscent of City on the move. And I couldn’t help being reminded a little bit of the beginning part of Threads. Obviously, the turn of events in All in a day isn’t so tragic, but to a viewer who wasn’t born in 1973 and who was only young in 1984, they both have a similar old-Sheffield feel.

Oh and look out for the bizarre, symbolic juxtaposition of a priest leading communion, ‘This is my blood…shed for you and for many for the remission of sins’, which then cuts to a pig being slaughtered.

You can watch the All in a day documentary below.

5 Comments
by Sheffield blog on 29 May, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in architecture, council, film, history, media, sheffield, videos
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Posted by Sheffield blog on 29 May, 2011

http://sheffieldblog.com/2011/05/29/all-in-a-day-bbc4-sheffield-documentary/

Sheffield city on the move film

Promoting 1970s Sheffield

The full version of City on the move, the film that appeared at the start of the Full monty, is now available to watch online.

It has been split into four parts, each of which is worth watching if you have time. It still feels like a spoof, with the quaint commentary throwing up several facts about Sheffield in the 1970s:

  • The Christmas illuminations are more extensive in this city than anywhere else in the country
  • The cutlers of the city still meet regularly with proper pomp and ceremony
  • The reservoirs in the nearby hills are generally known as ‘Sheffield’s lake district’ (public access is generally permitted)
  • We proudly are home to the largest snuff makers in the country
  • The university is anticipating a student population of 10,000 in the 1980s
  • Like the rest of the country, Sheffield has not solved the current problems of old people, although we can rest assured that the task is being tackled
  • No city north of London has more department stores than Sheffield
  • We are home to the biggest nightclub in Europe
  • It is home to numerous forward-looking developments like Castle square, the underground concourse with its ingenious roof of sky and winner of another Civic trust award

It seems that Sheffield has been surpassed in some areas and it can no longer boast some of the these facts, although of course nowadays there are plenty of other things that the city can lay claim to and be proud of.

The videos are embedded below. Don’t forget to compare these to Creative Sheffield’s two recent promotional films about Sheffield, plus of course you can get your hands on your own copy of the DVD.

And if those haven’t satisfied your appetite for 1970s Sheffield, then you may be interested in this City of Sheffield city centre walkabout promotional brochure and photo tour.

6 Comments
by Sheffield blog on 3 March, 2009  •  Permalink
Posted in architecture, arts, council, development, drink, food, football, gardens, marketing, promotions, pubs, regeneration, sheffield, shopping, sport, television, transport, videos
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Posted by Sheffield blog on 3 March, 2009

http://sheffieldblog.com/2009/03/03/sheffield-city-on-the-move-film/

Sheffield City on the move video from The Full Monty

Watch (some) of The Reel Monty video online – or buy the DVD

If you’ve ever searched online for a clip of City on the move, the promotional film famously featured in The Full Monty, you will have probably drawn a blank.

However, to mark the official release of the film on DVD, The Star has put parts of the video online along with interviews with the Council’s first-ever publicity officer and the film-maker.

It’s a nostalgic look at a city that was improving back then, but is almost unrecognisable compared to the Sheffield of 2008.

Read the accompanying article or go straight to the video – you have to press play to set it going. You can also buy a copy of the DVD from thereelmonty.com.

And for comparison purposes, here are the two promotional films that Creative Sheffield has made over the last couple of years to promote the city:

2008

2007

3 Comments
by Sheffield blog on 8 October, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in film, history, marketing, promotions, sheffield, videos
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Posted by Sheffield blog on 8 October, 2008

http://sheffieldblog.com/2008/10/08/sheffield-city-on-the-move-video-from-the-full-monty/

City of Sheffield city centre walkabout (walkabout)

Exploring the city centre, 1970s style

A few months ago I was given a fantastic item that had been found on eBay – a copy of the early-1970s City of Sheffield city centre walkabout walkabout book (I think the double walkabout in the title is actually a stylistic design feature on the cover).

This publication (rrp 25p) was produced by what I assume was the council marketing department in those days, the quaintly-named Sheffield City Promotions Committee. On the inside front cover, they write:

The aim of this publication is to act as a guide to visitors for a walking tour of the Central Area of Sheffield. The tour, which takes just over an hour at a leisurely walking pace, is intended to show both civic and other important buildings and landmarks, not only of yesteryear, but also some of the more modern counterparts of recent times. At the same time, it is hoped to show some of the Sheffield’s character in its local environment, brought about by the effects of ambitious building schemes and town planning since 1945 together with the clean air legislation in 1972 which led to Sheffield’s claim as being ‘the cleanest industrial city in Europe‘.

Reading the brochure I can’t help but think of the ‘City on the move’ film that opened The Full Monty, as the tone really lends itself to being read in a received pronunciation public service-style voice.

I’m sure copies of this publication from ‘yesteryear’ are quite scarce now, so I’ve pulled together my favourite quotes here:

City of Sheffield city centre walkaboutTown hall extension “This effect, together with leaded roofing are (sic) intended to blend two contrasting styles of building”

Crucible theatre “several television spectaculars have taken place here”

Shopping “Sheffield now has more departmental stores than any other city north of London”

Fargate “A quiet resting place for the weary visitor”

Chapel Walk “has more than a hint of a cosmopolitan atmosphere”

Dove and Rainbow pub “where you are more than likely to hear the chatter of journalists, reporters and other media people during weekday lunchbreaks”

Parkway “It is now possible to drive to either London or Newcastle in under three hours via the motorway network direct from that point”

Ramp near Castle Square “Castle Square’s function as a traffic roundabout can best be viewed from this point” – this view is obviously one not to miss!

2 Comments
by Sheffield blog on 19 March, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in council, environment, history, promotions, pubs, sheffield, walking
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Posted by Sheffield blog on 19 March, 2008

http://sheffieldblog.com/2008/03/19/city-of-sheffield-city-centre-walkabout-walkabout/

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