High Cost Of Letting Go

Creator: Carlisle (Robert W.)

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: Safety film targeted at railroad workers about how mental upsets can increase vulnerability to accidents. A newspaper reporter tries to reconstruct why a mysterious accident occurred.; Filmed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California.; Slow zoom into newspaper building “Valley Times” (identifiably in California); VS newspaper printing press, and newspapers coming off press (good); CU typewriter platen and keys writing news copy (good); Man gets into late 1960s-model sedan outside Valley Times office; POV man in suit driving, seen from back seat and looking out front window; Pan over highway construction site where work is not currently happening; Zoom out from silver hearse to church building, people entering to attend funeral; Dark shots inside church sanctuary, people at funeral; Preacher at lectern: “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”; Pan over attendees in church; CU man looking to side while he sits in church; Cross on top of church; Mike Miller, a railroad man, exits side door of house, sees hose coiled on ground, shakes his head and picks it up to stow properly.; Katie Miller, age 12, walks out of side door eating apple, returns to get her sweater from mother; Ethel Miller, Mike’s wife, exiting door; Bud Miller, age 22, exits door and walks over to old yellow delivery van; Katie wheels her bike out driveway, gets kiss from her smiling dad, exits; MS Ethel Miller pruning her garden bushes; MS building with CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL sign on wall; California Highway Patrol officer gets out of his car, walks over to blue car to issue ticket; VS CUs of driver and CHP officer; CU young man: “Oh, he was on top of the world. You never know when the sky’s going to fall on you, do you?” (reaction shot?); Union Pacific engine and freight cars pull into frame, going from left to right. Engineer jumps off to talk to foreman.; CU foreman: “The way you been acting, I don’t want you around here anyway.”; LS two teen girls riding bikes into suburban house; CU chicken sitting by driveway; Two girls hold chicken and pet it.; Blue car pulls into driveway fast; CU bike sitting in driveway, car runs it over; Daughter and Dad have words over him running over bike, she tells him “you drove in too fast”, dad says “What did you say?”; CU dad looks disconsolate, wife’s hands touch his shoulders, offscreen we hear her say, “Oh, dear.”; CU zoom into reporter’s face looking quizzical and concerned; Blue convertible pulls up outside “MEDICAL BUILDING”, reporter goes in; CU hands loosening tire nuts with lug wrench; CU trailer resting on wooden blocks, blocks collapse, Mike Miller wrenches his shoulder as trailer falls, and grimaces in pain; LS man walking towards his car, seen through front windshield from inside the car; Bud Miller asks his father for money, but his dad is having a bad day, and refuses him; CU young man looks in either direction, grimaces, leaves frame; Beautiful 1960s yellow Dodge van with yellow over white paint job pulls out of driveway; Young man and young boy sitting in front of van, driving; VS CU Bud and Katie Miller and young boy sitting in front seat, talking and somewhat agitated; VS CU of agitated youngsters; ECU young man’s eyes, agitated (several shots in great sequence); Reckless driving sequence: running through red light, running by flagman, losing control of van; Traffic accident: shown in POV and from outside, van veers off road and hits freeway bridge abutment (good accident); CU windshield cracking into spiderweb pattern; GS policeman walking towards wreck; CU and pan down news article: “Brother and Sister Die in Crash”; CU Ethel Miller sitting and staring, pan over and zoom out to show Mike Miller sitting in couch, sad and silent; Zoom out to show house with lighted living room window in which sad parents sit