The White Bus

aka Red, White and Zero

Sixties surrealist portrait of industrial Britain, and its context in a post-Empire, dying Commonwealth world. The principle story being told by a bus tour of an industrial Northern town, which is shown in contrast to violent center of commerce, London.

A couple of things that struck me with this film were the balance of composition in the shots and the Mayors monologues. Compositions such as the tour party going up an elevator chute into a factory, or some lovely color shots in a steel mill. The mix of black and white and color scenes is reminiscent of "if...", but here it looks more deliberate.

The director, Lindsay Anderson, also directed one of my favourite movies, "if...", studying Britain in microcosm through examining a public school.

This film has a playful sense of humor, which makes its pretentiousness tolerable. It's more watchable than the likes of Jonathan Millers "Alice in Wonderland".

It's a curiosity, and I think I'll rewatch it to see what else I can get out of it. Not one I'd recommend, except to film students and the curious.