The River

Description

The film mixes images of people working on the River Severn and using it for leisure with archive material of the Severn and an often heated discussion between a group of people in a pub about the changes they have seen to what they consider to be 'their' river.

The locations are often not clear. No names are given and there are no footage credits on the programme.

We see archive film of fishing; flood water; pleasure boats and races; and a man in a coracle boat (this is from Look Around: The River Severn).

A pupil from Shrewsbury School is shown and later he is seen competing in a rowing event on the river.

The old men in the pub reminisce about the boats that used to transport goods along the river and we also see archive film (could be British Waterways or Gloucester Record Office).

More archive of the elderly coracle man from Look Around and modern shots of boat men piloting coracles. There is also archive material of a boat race over a weir.

There are shots of people catching salmon and we also see fisherman catching elvers (young eels) with nets and archive of an elver eating competition (looks like Midlands News).

More shots of pleasure boats are shown as the discussion in the pub becomes particularly vocal. A group are angry about plans to open the upper part of the Severn from Stourport to Shrewsbury to leisure craft. An unnamed man is interviewed about the scheme.

Pollution is also covered with archive shots of birds affected by industrial spills and an interview with the naturalist Sir Peter Scott of the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust.

Finally we see the Berkeley Nuclear Power Station from the river.

Credits

Photography - Gerry Pinches, Mike Wilkie
Sound - Barry Pritchard
Production - John McLeod, Simon Massey, Pat Harris
Dubbing Mixer - Mike Billing
Film Editor - Stephen Cottrell
Produced and Directed by Mike Connor

Notes

Central Television production number 6253/85.