The Hell of the North - now on Youtube

[dellzeqq]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=D4IDCkcnnHg

known here as 'A Sunday in Hell'

the quality is pretty horrible, but everybody should watch it at least once, and if you're inspired to go for the dvd, then so much the better - it's available from Bromley Video
http://www.bromleyvideo.com/shop/shop.php?c=viewproduct&pid=26&cat=5

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Had the video for years and still enjoy it now and again. The narration is a lesson to all sports documentary makers on how to give an informative description of the action without resorting to hero worshipping hysteria.

 

[rich p]

Thanks Dell! Good call.

That'll while away a useful hour and a half of my rehab!

 

[montage]

an hour and a half

This soooo better be good

 

[dellzeqq]

an hour and a half

This soooo better be good

well, if you're in your early 20s a lot of it might seem a little tedious. That style of documentary, using umpteen cameras, and giving the subject a bit of space, has fallen right out of fashion. And the soundtrack is all post-synced, which, again, hasn't been done in that kind of spare way for decades (the original Mission Impossible television series and some Dr. Who episodes come to mind). Anyway, there are some fantastic cycling sequences, and if you do get bored you can push forward to the 45 minute mark and marvel at the ride across the pave.

 

[montage]

I'm flicking through it an it is fascinating.....but pretty slow... I see what you mean by out of fashion, but then some of this footage is just brilliant

 

[Hacienda71]

Eddy Merkx is a legend. Great to see him in action.

 

[RedRider]

Bump.

Stumbled across the full film on youtube a couple of nights ago (having seen clips in the past) then found this thread. Had to comment and pose a coupla questions.

As close to perfect as you get. The protests, Merckx' saddle saga, the road ahead, the gashed head, the dust, the race, the shower scene...just how many cameras did it take? Even non-cyclists and those with no interest in the sport would surely be rapt. The deadpan voiceover, the mysterious (to me) conversations in French, car horns, cheers and the whirring and clicking of freewheels and gears. I could listen to the soundtrack on its own.

And the film score! "Pareeeeeeeeee! Rooooooubaaaaix!" A bit of googling shows it's by an experimental Danish composer called Gunner Møller Pedersen using a choir for the monk-ish vocals and I'm guessing some tape and electronics wizardry.

Here's something else by him. Perhaps you need to be in a certain state of mind to appreciate it, perhaps not.

Questions:

Despite extensive googling I can't see that Pederson's score to Sunday in Hell is available anywhere as a stand alone piece. Does anyone know any different?

Also, are there any other freely available race films that come close?