This film is part of Free
Lonely Water
Terrifying public information film presenting the horrific consequences of playing in or near rivers, ponds and other water hazards.
Overview
Narrated throughout by a ghoulish robed figure, ‘The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water’ (voiced by an unsettlingly restrained Donald Pleasence), Lonely Water presents the horrific consequences of playing in or near rivers, ponds, construction sites and other unsafe areas where water hazards are rife.
What’s most disturbing here (in 2003 the film was voted among Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Scary Moments), is not the nature of the accidents but the perverse, sadistic enjoyment that the Spirit seems to be taking in watching them: the pleasure with which he anticipates the breaking of the branch; the telltale twinge of excitement in Pleasence’s tone when he describes a scrap yard as ‘the perfect place… for an accident.’ All work to make the events depicted even more terrifying and in doing so make Lonely Water’s grim philosophy chillingly clear. Driven by a RoSPA campaign aimed at reducing the number of drowning-related accidents in the UK (a government working party was established with this aim in 1973), this film presents a live-action and infinitely more disturbing alternative to the COI’s iconic Charley – Falling in the Water, released the same year.
Related
The Farm on the Motorway The Farm on the Motorway
Documentary 1983 26 mins Location: Booth Wood
Life in the fast lane, as thousands roar past every day wondering why there is a farm in the middle of a motorway, and why anyone would live there.
Christmas in Belfast Christmas in Belfast
Government sponsored film 1977 2 mins Location: Belfast
Christmas in Belfast at the height of 'The Troubles'. Not the most wonderful time of year.
Glasgow Gets to Work Glasgow Gets to Work
Amateur film 1935 12 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
Hold on tight for a joyous ride around 1935 Glasgow's bustling road, rail and river transport network in this Scottish educational film.
Sunshine in Soho Sunshine in Soho
Documentary 1956 32 mins Location: Soho
1950s Soho beats with far more energy than its 21st century counterpart in this vivid time capsule.
Swansea, Victoria - Pontardulais Railway, 1964 (June) Swansea, Victoria - Pontardulais Railway, 1964 (June)
Amateur film 1964 12 mins Location: Pontarddulais
“It would be difficult to find a more lovely train journey”, declares Swansea’s Librarian, the film-maker and narrator. Prepare to be beguiled, station by station.
A Day in the Hayfields A Day in the Hayfields
Non-Fiction 1904 3 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames
Midsummer haymaking larks
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.