Public safety/information films

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

"Apaches" UK Public Information Film (1977)

Apaches is the Bay of Blood of public information films, It tells the innocent story of a group of young children playing cowboys and Indians on an old farm.But like any good slasher movie, the body count is extremely high..The first poor sod to die, just as he manages to hijack a tractor and trailer for the Indian nation, unfortunately he does not get very far and falls under the wheels of the trailer, leaving only a blood smear stain and a broken rifle on the floor.The second poor lad to die comes to a rather sticky end as he manages to fall straight into what looks like a manure pit, slowly sinking down into the goo, it looks fairly comical until it dawns on you exactly what he is sinking into.As the kids explore the old farm, seemingly unaware that their numbers are slowly dwindling, they discover some jars of innocuous liquid, and yes you guess it the girl drinks some (showing off to the boys no doubt).Her screams in the night fill the night sky as another bites the dust.Still unperturbed by the fact that this group of friends seems to have a bigger death wish than your average Bronson movie, the smaller group are back again playing cops and robbers, and at least one robber goes behind bars as a giant wrought iron gate falls on him and crushes the poor mite. Now down to just two boys, one wonders what terrors are left to inflict on these young uns.How about driving a tractor down the embankment. And just to drive home the point the whole thing is narrated by one of the boys, right up until his own funeral, where we see his poor family grieving and having what he calls an adult party, but what turns out to be his wake,crikey ...and I thought Swap Shop on a Saturday morning was grim.

Sterling review sir!!
It is brutal. That whole set is essential. The American stuff sounds crazed. Sold!!

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Sterling review sir!!
It is brutal. That whole set is essential. The American stuff sounds crazed. Sold!!

The Highway to Hell box-set of driving information films,are grim stuff indeed,those guys would beat the ambulance men to accidents by bribing cops or just listening to there radio calls.Its about as depressing as it gets,its like watching H.G.Lewis movie for real.

[nosferatu42]

Great review of Apaches Inspector i still vividly remember when this was showed to us at school in an assembly, it scared the crap out of me and was the main reason i bought that public information dvd.

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

Great review of Apaches Inspector i still vividly remember when this was showed to us at school in an assembly, it scared the crap out of me and was the main reason i bought that public information dvd.

there you go,it worked..trouble with today's kids there not scared enough..

[Demoncrat]

Indeed. Am literally sick of being walked into by clods. This reality is the one you should take note of. Not some virtual trivial cack.
And breathe.

There's a film there. Kids invited to a VR 'extravaganza' find that the horror is very REAL.

[Inspector Abberline]

When you watch Public Information Films, they usually fill you with quite a bit of nostalgia and how things have changed and not for the better either. But perhaps things have not changed that much, especially when you watch PIF's warning about bombs being left in cars. Of course back in the 1970's it was warning about the antics of the IRA and not IsIs. But why are we not being warned like we were back then, hell they even use to warn us about nuclear attack back in the 1980's. Now all we get is the Police telling people on Facebook to not hurt each other's feelings, never mind getting blown up by a terrorist. And while Brexit come and went, where was our public information film about the in and outs of the referendum. We got one when we went decimal back on 15 February 1971.Even the cast of On The Buses got in on the act, with Doris Hare stubbornly learning about decimalisation until the saucy milkman tries to puts her right but it takes the grandson to teach her,meanwhile Reg Varney is learning his highway code while racing around the countryside in his sports car. And if the thought of Varney chasing rabbits around country lanes was a scary thought then the town was no better whilst you had Peter Noone over seeing a bike race with an extremely young Keith Chegwin in Betcher (1971).Proofing that bicycle proficiency test was not just for geeks but the cool kids as well and winning himself a nice shiny bike for his efforts.The COI Collection *Vol 6 - Worth the Risk? Is one of the best out of the series,as its vague theme of danger covers everything from nuclear war to drink driving and everything in between.What is also fun is spotting the numerous Tv actors of the day,who were probably glad of the work,who pop up every so often,you will have many “OH IT'S HIM WHAT HIS NAME”,as you spot another actor that plagued our tv screens in the mid 1970’s to mid 80’s.But the one thing you will know after watching this is,you will never retrieve a frisbee from a power line or walk out between two park cars,which is more than most people...

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

Great review of Apaches Inspector i still vividly remember when this was showed to us at school in an assembly, it scared the crap out of me and was the main reason i bought that public information dvd.

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

there you go,it worked..trouble with today's kids there not scared enough..

But do you really think that Tufty would scare today's kids?



Mind you, did Tufty scare the kinds from 40 years ago?

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

But do you really think that Tufty would scare today's kids?



Mind you, did Tufty scare the kinds from 40 years ago?

let me film it, ill scare the shit at of those skinny jean wearing beardy hipster's, they wouldn't know what hit em...

[bleakshaun]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

let me film it, ill scare the shit at of those skinny jean wearing beardy hipster's, they wouldn't know what hit em...

you can try to scare you will not

[Inspector Abberline]

Challenge for a Lifetime (1975)
This is a short film bigging up the 1970's policeman, using reconstruction of incidents and showing us early basic training for the young copper, its all fun stuff, while there not in riot training or judo throwing each other they can be found in the social club drinking beer and playing snooker.It's a million miles away from Life on Mars but probably a more accurate portrayal of the bobby on the beat in the 70's...
Obviously, they tend to leave out anything to gruesome, but they do reconstruct a murder with a woman lying in a forest with her head stoved in, this is where any young Bobby might want to become a detective and practice there Columbo skills...Of course, since this film is 30 odd years old, the main thrust of the film is the local police and police on the beat, well apart recent events I cannot remember the last time I saw a copper on foot patrol,(except London).Of course, like any recruiting film, the narration is a bit too upbeat even when there dragging away two blokes from a bar room fight or rescuing a scally from a cliff face he sounds like he is narrating an advert for the adventure scouts.The only real fly in the ointment is that the film was produced in collaboration of the West Yorkshire Police, who did not have an exactly good reputation in the 1970's and 80's.As the notes in the booklet say is it impartial careers advice or persuasive propaganda, accordingly, it was primarily aimed at school leavers and at the time it was part off a recruiting drive.It's startling to see the difference between when this was made and earlier films made in the 1950's, and I imagine their worlds apart to what today's police have to put up with.I bet it's not all rock climbing and snooker nowadays, well maybe a little.