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The film sets out an argument that Britain as an industrial nation has been falling behind its competitors since the 19th century. This process has accelerated since the second world war and Britain now lags far behind the losers of the war - German and Japan. This situation is blamed on a lack of investment, a 'make do' mentality with technology and a distrust of industry by investors and bankers.
We open with a shot of the statue of Queen Victoria outside the Birmingham Town Hall.
A television screen is then shown with Bob Warman reading a Central News bulletin relating to industrial growth This is followed by shots (also filmed from a monitor) of industrial dereliction. Three people in a room listlessly watch the news. They are interviewed throughout the film and are named as:
Royston Edge, former motorcycle sales manager who has been unemployed for a year.
Len Shirwill who worked for BSA Engineering from 1939 to 1975.
17-year-old Graham Kelly who is a school leaver with experience of unemployment.
They represent three generations who have been 'let down' by the collapse of British manufacturing industry.
We see shots of the manufacture of steel and plastic jug kettles followed by a clip from a Rowenta television commercial for its range of kettles (a German company with a large market share).
Len Shirwill is seen walking past the remains of the BSA factory and then we see more shots of Birmingham Town Hall and the town hall organ.
Next we see the interior and exterior of the former home of Birmingham MP Joseph Chamberlain (1836 - 1914). After another TV advert (Audi cars) a passage from a speech by the Smethwick MP Oswald Mosley in favour of import controls is read out.
We see a rider on a Honda motorcycle and clips from Nissan and BMW car adverts. This cuts to shots of Len Shirwill and Royston Edge in Birmingham Science Museum looking at Britain's transport heritage.
1950s BSA print advertisements are contrasted with a modern Toshiba television advert. We then see shots of large country houses (filmed off a screen). Here the voice over claims that financiers have long idolised the countryside over the city.
We see Graham Kelly walking in a park and sitting in a corridor and there are shots of derelict factories.
The final shot is of the painting 'The Last of England' by Ford Madox Brown which is held in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Central wishes to thank the City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Department of Science and Industry.
Organist: Thomas Trotter
Camera: Kevin Latimer; Gerry Pinches
Sound: Barry Pritchard, Steve Phillips
Dubbing Mixer: Tony Cartwright
Production Assistants: Anne Wilson, Pauline Pearson
Researcher: Sheila Ford
Film Editor: David Leighton
Executive Producer: Brian Lewis
Producer: Malcolm Frazer
Written and Directed by Peter Wyeth
Production number 7291/86.
The second special Venture film to mark Industry Year. The first was 'The Persuaders' broadcast on 10 February 1986 and the third 'Buying Time' on 9 June 1986.