Great: Age of Steam, As Seen by the Age of Aquarius

[beamjockey]

Not many engineers have been the subject of an Oscar-winning animated musical biography. At the moment, I can only think of one.

Great is a 1975 short film about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, paragon of Victorian engineers, directed by Bob Godfrey. (IMDB entry here.) I saw part of this many years ago, and have searched without success for a copy I could watch again.

Yesterday I learned, thanks to Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew, that Great has turned up on Youtube in three parts. It's a farrago of catchy tunes, suspension bridges, sly innuendo, railway tunnels, singing Victorians, and the most fantastic steamship ever built.

Comments

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Man, haven't thought about "GREAT!" in ages.

"Its a Big One, Such a Big One... "

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

OOO!

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link, Bill! Did you ever read his biography by Angus Buchanan?

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I read about half of it and put it down for some reason. Still intend to finish it someday! (Have started to think about cooking up my own steampunkis talk soon.)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

I can't remember if the point where you stopped concerns the years that followed the problem-plagued construction of The Great Eastern. If so, that's the point where his career started going on a bit of a downward curve. I think. It's been some time since I've read the book.

That being said, please do go ahead with your steampunk-panel ideas. They sound neat.
(By the way, I'm considering going to the NASFiC. What about you?)

[bigbumble.livejournal.com]

The Great Eastern was used by Cyrus Field to lay the first successful telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. It was the only ship big enough to hold all of the cable it took.

If you ever get over to York, England I highly recommend the rail museum there. In fact if you make it to England at all I suggest making a special trip for it.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

It was also the setting of Verne's A Floating City.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I toured its predecessor, the Great Western, which still exists in Bristol.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

S.S. Great Britain. I'm just planning a repeat visit, as it must be 20 years since I last went.

[tullio42.livejournal.com]

What a blast from the past! I remember watching this in the attic during an Ishercon and I'm fairly sure you were there...

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's where I saw it, back when you had a movie theater in your attic.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I watched that with a bottle of I.K.B in my hand, 'cos there have been a fair few brews this year to celebrate the great man.