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The Song of the Road

The Song of the Road is a 1937 British second feature ('B') drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Bransby Williams, Ernest Butcher and Muriel George. It was written by Gerald Elliott, H. F. Maltby and Michael Kent, and was made at Shepperton Studios. Like Baxter's earlier film The Song of the Plough (1933) the film examines the effect of modern technology on traditional working practices in the countryside.

Synopsis
After the local council he works for decides to replace its horse-drawn services with motor vehicles, one of the drivers, Old Bill, spends his savings to buy the horse, Polly. Together they search the countryside looking for work, and meeting an assorted group of characters on the way. ==Cast==
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Bransby Williams is full of dogged sentiment as Bill, but the theme seems out-of-date in a machine age long since accepted and the inveighing against mechanisation seems somewhat pointless. There are some lovely natural shots of Sussex, somewhat too obviously interpolated for their beauty rather than for their story value. There is also a good deal of simple humour, notaby from Ernest Butcher as the farm foreman and Davy Burnaby as the lovesick Keppel, whom Bill aids in his wooing of the widow Trelawney. Young people will probably find the film slow moving, but others will enjoy its quiet charm." Kine Weekly wrote: "In this sentimental drama of the English countryside, the theme, man's love for his horse, is approached from an up-to-date but far from direct angle. In fact, the film is far more topographical than narratal. Still, the scenery is exquisitely picturesque, and many of the characters are both human and amusing, and, between the two, it nanages to promote pleasant, appealing documentary entertainment." Picturegoer wrote: "Picturesque English scenery and good camera, but a very thin plot ... Bransby Williams is heavily sentimental in the leading role, but does manage to get over some good human touches. The supporting characters are quite sound. The treatment, however, is lacking in continuity and dramatic development." == References ==
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