Forth Road Bridge, The (Parts 1 & 2)(1964)
Forth Road Bridge, The (Parts 1 & 2)(1964)
Record options
- Release Date: 1st January 1964
- Asset ID: 802049
- Synopsis: Oscar nominated epic story of the construction of the Forth Road Bridge. The film follows the complete construction of Forth road bridge and includes shots of the bridge and the surrounding area.
- Shotlist: 10:00:00 START. Colour film. ‘The Forth Road Bridge,’ ‘Presented by Shell and BP Scotland in cooperation with Film of Scotland Committee,’ directed by Gordon Lang B.S.C. 10:00:00 Voiceover discusses bridge-building through human history. 10:04:07 Footage of the Victorian-built Forth Railway Bridge over the River Firth (10:04:50 Black and white stills of the bridge’s construction). 10:52:42 Footage of ferry and heavy traffic waiting to board, as voiceover highlights the issues raised by the lack of a road bridge in the area. 10:16:16 Shot of Kincardine Bridge. 10:06:25 Footage of surveyors finding a site for construction of the Forth Road Bridge (10:06:51 Graphics displaying where the foundations of the bridge must be built, and on the design of the suspension bridge). 10:08:04 Voiceover discusses America’s concern of the economy of metal to be used on the Forth Road Bridge; shots of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the George Washington Bridge and footage of the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge and its collapse due to heavy winds. 10:08:45 Wind tunnel tests being carried out on models of the lightweight suspension bridge, a ‘wind and smoke test’ and illustrations of bridge designs explaining how aerodynamics and wind resistance factor. 10:09:49 November 1958, the Secretary of State for Scotland officially opens the construction of the bridge. Footage of early construction, steel girders being built and floated on the river (accompanied by illustrations of how suspension bridges work, how the piles are grounded in bedrock by a process of excavation, and a Victorian illustration of similar methods used in floating girders on the Forth Railway Bridge). Winter sets in, disrupting the project. 10:14:37 Excavation for anchorages; cut to summer in second year of construction. Footage of the anchorages being constructed, drawn diagram of how anchorages work and of the early construction of the North Tower of the bridge. 10:22:06 A second Winter comes, footage of workers trying to return to work where they can. 10:22:59 The sun returns, but a strike in the supply lines for the bridge’s parts keeps production halted. Work eventually recommences, footage of the saddles for the suspension bridge’s cables being built in Glasgow and hoisted onto one of the towers. 10:26:39 Voiceover discusses the benefits the Forth Railway Bridge will bring to the area: shots of golf at St. Andrews and Edinburgh, footage of local fishermen and the Scottish Highlands, a transformer being carried on a truck and of new factories and a new town built due to the bridge. 10:28:39 The workers build a catwalk. Footage of the wires for the suspension bridge’s main cables being produced in a factory, and equipment on site that will be used to ‘spin’ the wire over the bridge. 10:31:14 A model illustrating how the process of spinning over a bridge works, footage of it in practice on the bridge itself and the frequent delays that occurred (10:38:01 Construction of viaducts leading to the bridge; controlled explosions and bulldozers moving earth to make way for approach roads). 10:41:49 The spun wire is compacted into two cables and the suspenders, which will hold the weight of the bridge itself, are hung. The steel arms are built out. Transition shots of small bridges built in the area, enabling passage to the suspension bridge (road and railway bridges, flyovers, underpasses and viaducts). 10:45:55 Construction of the suspension bridge’s deck, as prefabricated pieces are brought on site and fixed in place. Transition shots show the bridge’s arms being progressively built out, and highways being built towards the bridge. 10:47:59 The last girders are put in place, boasting flags of St. Andrew’s cross, the Lion of Scotland and the Union Jack to mark the occasion. 10:52:03: Shots of the completed bridge. 10:53:09 ENDS.
- Production Company: None
- Licensing Restrictions: None
- Viewing Restrictions: Public
- Format: BetaSP_Large
- Alternative Language Notes: None