Enginemen records a day in the life of a locomotive shed just outside the suburbs of Manchester. Made at a time when diesel was replacing steam the film demonstrates Grigsby's ability to convey how ordinary people adapt to the changes and pressures in their lives. This film was part of the BFI funded Free Cinema movement in the UK in the late 1950's; films that engaged with the reality of day-to-day life rather than the polished narratives of many films.
The slight risk with this of course is that they can be dull and provide very little to the viewer. The blurb suggested Enginemen would be fascinating as it looked at changes on the railway but really it seemed to consist of lots of "real" footage but not really get close to the men or the issue. We have a few sound bites from the men themselves talking to the camera saying how they don't like the change as much but that they need to go with it anyhow nothing particularly earth shattering or touching. Meanwhile the camera does do a good job of moving around the work sheds, engines and following the men living their days as normal. This seems to be a weakness of the Free Cinema ideal in some of the films I have seen, which is that the focus on capturing real life visually has been done to the apparent detriment of capturing the substance of the people and their lives.
So it is here in a short piece that is interesting as a piece of history but misses out of the chance to draw insight and commentary from the real subjects and ends up delivering nothing of interest beyond the visual capture of a period and place. Interesting enough on that level perhaps but hard not to see a missed opportunity to do more.
The slight risk with this of course is that they can be dull and provide very little to the viewer. The blurb suggested Enginemen would be fascinating as it looked at changes on the railway but really it seemed to consist of lots of "real" footage but not really get close to the men or the issue. We have a few sound bites from the men themselves talking to the camera saying how they don't like the change as much but that they need to go with it anyhow nothing particularly earth shattering or touching. Meanwhile the camera does do a good job of moving around the work sheds, engines and following the men living their days as normal. This seems to be a weakness of the Free Cinema ideal in some of the films I have seen, which is that the focus on capturing real life visually has been done to the apparent detriment of capturing the substance of the people and their lives.
So it is here in a short piece that is interesting as a piece of history but misses out of the chance to draw insight and commentary from the real subjects and ends up delivering nothing of interest beyond the visual capture of a period and place. Interesting enough on that level perhaps but hard not to see a missed opportunity to do more.
