The Way to the West

In the last week of May, the whole of India prays for the onset of the monsoon. Without its life-giving rains, the nation would become a land of dry wells and deserts. Writer Alexander Frater awaits the 'burst' at the southernmost tip of India, then travels with it on its dramatic journey north, witnessing the monsoon's towering influence on every aspect of Indian life.

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.

Tourist promo film extolling the delights of Birmingham and the Midlands, with a sprinkling of arch one-liners.

A Day in TOKYO in 1968, Nostalgic bygone era. Planned by Japan National Tourism Organization. Produced by Koga Production. This film was produced to explain Tokyo for foreign tourists.

The future Edward VIII opens a durbar and enjoys a day at the races before inspecting the fire brigade in Calcutta.

Contemporary life in Plymouth in the 1960s – plus some history.

The future Edward VIII visits his Empire, with Indian royalty, elephants, palaces and temples.

The future Edward VIII enjoys stunning mountain scenery on a visit to the Khyber Pass during his royal tour

The future Edward VIII visits Malakand, Kapurthala and opens the Royal Military College at Dehra Dun

This official travelogue of a royal tour follows the Prince on a series of regimental displays and a tiger hunt.

Much-loved actress, comedian and writer Mel Giedroyc heads to Dorset on a travel adventure with a twist. Inspired by her passion for books, Mel hooks up with her friend and Dorset local, Martin Clunes, to explore the spectacular scenery and iconic locations made famous by some of Britain's favourite books and films.

A 1962 West German documentary film directed by Hermann Leitner and Rudolf Nussgruber.

Coach passengers give their reasons for preferring that type of transport. A group of ramblers visit the Welsh mountains; an angler and his family spend a peaceful day by a country river; a family goes to the seaside; some students visit Oxford during a music festival.

An American couple tour Britain with a teenage girl, visiting London, Canterbury, Cambridge, the West Country, Caernarvon, etc.

This documentary visits cities and towns and captures stunning landscapes along Europe's majestic Danube at Christmastime. Locations covered include Passau, Germany; Salzburg, Oberndorf, the Wachau Valley, and Vienna in Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary. Along the way the viewer learns relevant history.

In 1899, a photographer at American Mutoscope & Biograph mounted his camera on the front of a trolley traveling over the Brooklyn Bridge. The three 90-foot rolls he created were edited together to complete the journey from Manhattan to Brooklyn, entitled Across the Brooklyn Bridge. As a commission by the Museum of Modern Art for the re-opening of their facility, American avant-garde filmmaker Bill Morrison took this remarkable footage and recombined it with itself to form a new split-screen extrapolation.

David Lloyd George tours Germany, escorted by Nazi government officials, while his chauffeurs lark about with an SS Officer. Lloyd George was pro-German from the mid-1920s, and met Adolf Hitler in 1936. However, by 1938 he had become a leading opponent of appeasement with Germany. This film is believed to have been shot by George Ryder, Lloyd George's chauffeur.

This Traveltalk series short visits Papua and Kalabahai.

This Screenliner short looks at the dress and customs of Nazaré, a fishing village on Portugal's Atlantic coast.