The Stanlow Story

Stuart Legg wrote the narration here as this documentary uses some actuality and quite futuristic looking artists impressions to explain the plan of action before, and then proceeds to follow the construction of a facility that would require 4,000 people to excavate, build and fit before it became the largest plant of it's kind in Europe. The film production started in 1949 and followed the ground preparation, tunnel boring and lining, then the gradual elevation of thousands of tons of reinforced concrete as the complex takes shape. The photography captures the industry ongoing during this process well, and as altitude filming becomes easier the grand scale of the proposition begins to emerge, easily dwarfing those working on the project and their hundred foot high derricks. There's the building of an enormous cooling tower, an intricate network of supply pipes, roads and what even looks like an airport control tower as this crucial piece of post-war British infrastructure ensures the supply of petrochemicals and fuel will continue whilst providing much needed jobs. It was made by Shell and is about Shell, so it's hardly likely to be delivering anything critical about the project, nor assess any of the impact on the environment caused by such significant works, but as piece of film signposting the determination of a nation to get back to work after the war, it's quite an informative - if a little bit dry - watch.