first time i saw it, it was so unusual that it stayed with me for days. it was a bit creepy that "the girl" pictured herself hanging (same outfit). the football enthusiast killing his transistor was comical! the posh dork was weird; the girl said, "i'll write" to him, although she didn't know him. it seemed she was supposed to be going home, but ended up on a bus full of Manchester United fans. loved the song, "the pig". the fans were fun; a young guy kissed an older, balding guy on the top of his head for giving him some booze. it was also cute that the older dude gave the girl a snort, too. strange how, upon leaving that bus, she went outside, saw the tour bus, & flagged it down (the first thing i do after work is change clothes, then eat dinner). goofy mayor was walking a few inches from the tour guide, but listened to her talking through the walkie-talkie, as a child might do. i loved the light-hearted music playing through most of the movie; it kept it from being depressing or boring. also loved that hub of tall, raised apartment buildings! how amazing they looked @ the intersection. kind of wanted to give that museum "elevator operator" a bit of a boot in the pants. after the depressing war scenes, the little town was very nice. the girl walked along those identically-shaped, cozy brick buildings. then she passed a long row of gorgeous bay windows that were so inviting i wanted to live there! so romantic. the woman in the chip shop sounded a little like "ivy" from the Cafe (on "last of the summer wine"). just thought i'd share why this funky movie was so entertaining to me, & might be to you, as well:D

Odd little movie in which some girl rides around on a tour bus. Nothing really happens. Some of the people here talk about wonderful performances, but really, there's the occasional brief conversation and a lot of touring. There are some cute moments, like some odd character going on about class distinctions, but mainly this just seems to have no point to it at all.Yet for some reason it has a lot of favorable reviews. And the only thing I can think of is that there are British people who recognize some of the sites and the sorts of people and it takes them back to that time or gives them that feeling of connection. But I've never been to England and to me this was just a huge waste of time.

A strange, moody, yet captivating film that captures the atmosphere at a certain time in Britain. I love the images of the terrace houses, the back alleyways and bombed out areas. I grew up just off Holderness Road in Hull and the images gave me a flashback to that time. The air is heavy with coal smoke, the roads have few cars and kids are playing in the streets, whilst the people all look gray like in a Lowry painting. The silent parts are the best as the images speak for themselves.The humour is nicely understated. My particular favorite is the scene with the lift and the security guard.I not sure what messages the film is seeking to convey, but as an observation piece it is superb.

This film had a big impact on me. Saw first saw it on BBC2 in the 70's as part of a Anderson Retro. Originally based on Delaney's book Red, White & Zero it was a three director/stories feature film. Although the other two parts were never finished. That's why the film doesn't have titles.The reason why I loved this film was because I grew up in a slum clearance area of Liverpool. The film's landscape was exactly the same. Everything demolished - except for the pubs. I'd never seen anything like it on TV before.I recently got another chance to see it and loved it. The story follows a girl who is fed up with working in London. The shot opens with her at a desk while the legs of a hanged fellow worker dangle from the celling. She leaves London - tired and fed up - and goes home to Manchester (although parts of the film were filmed in Birmigham). She stands at a desolate bus stop in the middle of demolished terraces. When along comes the white bus - it's a tour guided ride which shows the best of the city. What makes it even more special is that the bus is on it's maiden voyage. The Lord Mayor (Arthur Lowe) and other dignitaries ride the bus on a tour of factories, libraries and even a civil defence demo. At the end of the tour the girl winds up in a small cafe watching, inside what look like married couple. Thier love and passion for the small things in life mesmerises and charms the girl - reminding her what life's all about.For Delaney it's like Charlie Bubbles - dealing with leaving your home town and looking at the effect it has on you. For Anderson it's yet another example of his cinematic poetry - like If... and Sporting Life. This film is a very special film by very special people. Oh thank you for making it.