Frozen choo-choo: Snow (1963)

March 7, 2023 10:14 AM

Snow is a short (7' 46") cinéma pur documentary showing the effects of the 1962-63 freeze on British railways. Its driving soundtrack is a cover of Sandy Nelson's Teen Beat, time-distorted and heavily processed by Daphne Oram.

(Snow, previously, from 2011.)

posted by scruss (9 comments total)

More snow. (no trains though)
posted by chavenet at 11:37 AM on March 7, 2023

How is digging out of heavy snow not a narrative, however tacit or oblique it may be?
posted by y2karl at 11:39 AM on March 7, 2023

Wow, that was great!
posted by snofoam at 1:01 PM on March 7, 2023

This is only semi-related, but the part where they're clearing the tracks reminded me of the snow train in Tahoe.
posted by pinochiette at 1:56 PM on March 7, 2023

Love Sandy Nelson, thanks. More: Let There Be Drums
posted by Rash at 3:00 PM on March 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Donner Pass, 1952

wait for the rotary snow blowing train
posted by chavenet at 3:10 PM on March 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Weirdest darned thing, when I was a little kid my brother and used to play the 45 of Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" over and over at 78 and 33 1/3. We imagined we heard all sorts of things in the subtleties that were brought out. Wonder what it is about this record, of all records, that should inspire people to play at different speeds?
posted by Modest House at 3:31 PM on March 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

The moment I saw that snowplow train with the crazy bat-like cowling on front my brain went GOTH LOCOMOTIVVVVVVE and I haven't quite recovered
posted by phooky at 4:09 PM on March 7, 2023

... like a polar version of Mad Max.
posted by Rash at 7:07 PM on March 7, 2023