Fireworks Safety: Parents (found public information film; 1976): Difference between revisions

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(Cleaned up the article's organization, but it could use references.)
(Contrary to the original article, the short did not ask Parents where there child was, nor did it include the voices of either of the aforementioned figures. Will continue working this)
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'''''Fireworks Safety: Parents''''' (or '''''Fireworks Safety - Parents''''') was a British Public Information film made in 1976 that pointed out how easy it is for children and teenagers to get ahold of fireworks in the run-up to Guy Fawkes night and asked "Parents - where's your child tonight?" and featured the voice of Patrick Troughton and (possibly) also the actor Jean Boht. It accomplished this by notably having a very graphic and disturbing close-up scenes where a young child was severely injured (his face possibly blown off and limbs damaged) by fireworks, and they were deemed so graphic and so gruesome, that it was not only to specifically air after 9 pm (the watershed), but it was also removed after complaints, so it had a very limited showing before being quickly withdrawn from distribution and syndication and later replaced by an edited, less offensive version that aired in 1985-1986 that had no graphic scene.
'''''Fireworks Safety: Parents''''' (or '''''Fireworks Safety - Parents''''') was a British Public Information film made in 1976 that pointed out how easy it is for children and teenagers to get ahold of fireworks in the run-up to Guy Fawkes night. It accomplished this by notably having a graphic and disturbing close-up scene where a young child was severely injured by fireworks, and they were deemed so graphic, that it aired after 9 pm, and was removed after complaints. An edited, less offensive version is said to have aired around 1985-1986 without the controversial scene.<ref>[http://takingthepif.blogspot.com/2007/04/complaints-about-pifs.html A page on Blogger recounting the gruesome scene, as well as the reairings of the program in the 80's] Retrieved 12 Oct '18</ref>
 
==Plot==
==Plot==
The BFI Database describes the PIF as follows:
In the short, a couple walks out of a Safeway returning home from a grocery run. Their son, who is out with his friends, gets involved in an accident involving fireworks going off, leaving visible scars and injuries on his face. An ambulance arrives on the scene, hauling the child into the back of it with a stretcher, his face now bandaged up. While most of his friends stick around to help, one child is seen running away from the incident the mother is then made aware of their son's activities, and calls out his name. A narrator then goes on to state that while it is easy to blame the parents of the other children involved, that their child is nonetheless their responsibility.
 
"''COI 1611 Fireworks Safety Parents - parents in supermarket carpark (Safeway) chatting about friends out of control children,- shot bullying older child - shot couple in car discussing discipline / - CU match strike near boy of fireworks, explosion, CU blue light flashing, adult cradling child as bullying child runs away child on stretcher - CUT couple putting shopping away - wonder where their child is, gone to see bullying friend - mother gets new of the accident involving her son, - CU burnt out firework on ground, - 'your children are your responsibility'."''


==Availability==
==Availability==
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   |description1 =''Fireworks Safety: Parents'' (Credit: BFI National Archive / Crown Copyright).
   |description1 =''Fireworks Safety: Parents'' (Credit: BFI National Archive / Crown Copyright).
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===References===
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Found media]]
[[Category:Found media]]

Revision as of 18:37, 12 October 2018

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This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of references.



FW PSA.JPG

Thumbnail of the video.

Status: Found

Date found: 14 Aug '15

Found by: British Film Institute

Fireworks Safety: Parents (or Fireworks Safety - Parents) was a British Public Information film made in 1976 that pointed out how easy it is for children and teenagers to get ahold of fireworks in the run-up to Guy Fawkes night. It accomplished this by notably having a graphic and disturbing close-up scene where a young child was severely injured by fireworks, and they were deemed so graphic, that it aired after 9 pm, and was removed after complaints. An edited, less offensive version is said to have aired around 1985-1986 without the controversial scene.[1]

Plot

In the short, a couple walks out of a Safeway returning home from a grocery run. Their son, who is out with his friends, gets involved in an accident involving fireworks going off, leaving visible scars and injuries on his face. An ambulance arrives on the scene, hauling the child into the back of it with a stretcher, his face now bandaged up. While most of his friends stick around to help, one child is seen running away from the incident the mother is then made aware of their son's activities, and calls out his name. A narrator then goes on to state that while it is easy to blame the parents of the other children involved, that their child is nonetheless their responsibility.

Availability

Not being particularly helped by being a short-lived ad aired only after 9pm at a time where VHS may not have been the most common media devices (such as DVDs, compact discs, or internet media) to consumers, the full version (as well as the cut version, more inexplicably) was considered missing from the internet, and it was a notable holy grail for PIF fans. One person (Reginald Molehusband) hoped that Film Images would let him see it for his PIF blog (The Public Needs to Know), but it wasn't meant to be, and it's unknown if British YouTube user Larry Bundy Jr. is planning to dig this up for his Films Yanks Can't Wank series like he is with the 1990s remake of Apaches, or if it will live up to its scary reputation and/or legendary money shot.

It wasn't until August 14, 2015 when the British Film Institute sent the Lost Media Wiki a rare PIF, which was uploaded to YouTube. In January of the following year, the original link was down, but was fortunately re-uploaded by YouTube user "Applemask."

Gallery

Fireworks Safety: Parents (Credit: BFI National Archive / Crown Copyright).

References