THE BRITTEN BIKE STORY – ONE MANS DREAM
Motorcycle enthusiasts the world over have always talked of designing the ultimate “Super” bike. New Zealander John Britten did more than talk about it. He went ahead and built it – at home and by hand!
This is his amazing true story. From the backyard workshop to the screaming action of Daytona and the Isle of Man, this fascinating video captures all the drama – the dreams and the nightmares, the triumphs and the tragedies.
It is the legend of the man from “Down Under ” who dared to challenge the might and wisdom of the world’s great motorcycle production factories and captured a nation’s imagination en route.
And it is the tale of the revolutionary bike that confounded the critics and took the world by storm.
The film has been remastered and there is additional, never seen before footage included as special features on the disc.
Ben Ruffell, producer of the DVD, has added the following note:
“The original film was made by my Dad Harry Ruffell about his good school friend John. Harry was passionate about telling John’s story, and the original film has been well received worldwide. Unfortunately shortly after John’s death Dad suffered a severe stroke. He has been unable to work since. I took on the project and updated the ending of the film and re-mastered where possible. I also added in the Special Features – all of which have previously not been released. All of the proceeds of the the DVD sale are going towards covering Harry’s living and medical costs. The film was made with the complete blessing and support of the Britten family. We are all close friends.
There are a few parts of the film where it is difficult to hear the audio. We have done everything possible to improve the audio and make it the best it can possibly be.
The film was made over 15 years ago. It was recorded on professional Beta SP and MII tape. These were the industry standard tapes of the time. We went back through all of these original tapes as well as the various masters that have been made over the years. Many of the tapes have deteriorated to such a poor quality that they simply will not play. They have fallen to pieces. These tapes were promoted with a lifespan of 50 years, and it simply is not true. In the Broadcast Industry this is fast becoming a major worldwide problem. All over the world important recordings are being lost.
We spent significant time and money doing everything we could to improve on the audio, and remaster where possible. The areas where you are having trouble hearing are where we had to use a previously mixed down edit, as there were no originals available. We outsourced to one of the top sound designers in Sydney. This is the best that they were able to do. It is a great shame that this is the quality that we are stuck with, and even sadder that this is the best quality of these images and sound that we are ever going to see. It’s an old film with old sound.
I do believe that if I had not undertaken the restoration of the film, that in another 10 years all of the footage would have been lost for good.”
