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ANYTHING YOU CAN DO

Heritage Motoring Films, 1993 (53 min.)

HMF 1026, $23.95

Remember those funny voice-overs of newsreels with irritating background music? Well, heres your chance to own your very own example. Actually this video is so lovable, you can almost overlook the proto-musak.

The video is a compilation of four short films from the Land Rover archives, the first in the Land Rover Film Library, covering the first ten years of Land Rover history (1948-1958).

The first of the four films is in itself an 8-minute 1955 compilation of five separate black and white newsreels, covering the Golden Jubilee of the Automobile Association, the first LRO Club Rally at Solihull, a tour of the factory, and the unveiling of the 107 at the Paris Motor Show.

The second film, Anything You Can Do -- I can do better -- is a 1956 color documentary (20 min.) on the versatility of the Land Rover. After watching a farmer herd cattle as effectively as his dog, massive loads being hauled around an industrial site, Royal Marines on exercise at Dartmoor, the RAF Mountain Rescue Service recovering a downed flyer, answering fire alarms, and towing a double- decker bus uphill, there can be no doubt that the pocket Goliath can indeed do anything.

The third film, 1957s Ready for Anything highlights the arrival of the diesel engine and showcases yet more versatility. With a winch and power-take-off, the Rover can do everything but knit a jumper -- only because it hasnt been asked to.

The last film, Bred in the Bone (1958) reviews the first ten years of Land Rover history in black white -- including its remarkable growth within two years as Britains most exported vehicle -- and concludes with a shift to color for the introduction of the improved features of the Series II.

For anybody interested in the heritage of Land Rover vehicles, this film is quite engrossing. For the Series aficionado, it is highly recommended. For the Series One lover, it is a must.

Review by T.F. Mills


Reprinted from the Solihull Society Newsletter, January/February 1996
   
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