Bergensbanen minutt for minutt (2009) (2009)

September 8, 2016 10:27 AM

Slow TV: Train Ride Bergen to Oslo (Bergensbanen minutt for minutt) is a real time documentary film of the entire journey by rail from Bergen to Oslo in Norway. The journey, lasting almost seven and a half hours, was filmed by cameras outside of the train.

Now streaming on Netflix, which apparently lacks a convenient linking option, and Youtube.

Slow TV: Netflix’s Chill, Mesmerizing Antidote to the Madness of 2016

Let Slow TV Be Your Visual Xanax

Oslo to Bergen: Europe's best train journey? The Bergensbanen runs for 308 miles, taking six and a half hours to cross some of Europe's most inhospitable terrain. It was built between 1875 and 1909 and, as you might expect for a line that climbs to 1200m, building the line was not easy. 182 tunnels had to be carved out of the gneiss, winter storms had to be negotiated and putting funding in place for what appears an impossible task was difficult. But the engineers and navvies working on the project found a way, and we should be grateful to them.

posted by roger ackroyd (20 comments total)

Sadly, the Netflix version is an hour-long distillation of the original and has a lot of interviews and voiceover that I don't think were in the original
posted by Clustercuss at 12:09 PM on September 8, 2016

When did you check that? My Netflix app lists the time at 7h 14m. (I'm watching on YouTube, though.)
posted by roger ackroyd at 12:13 PM on September 8, 2016

I can't even find it on Netflix, but I'm in the Netherlands so a lot of US Netflix stuff doesn't show up for me.
posted by Pendragon at 1:40 PM on September 8, 2016

But I'm watching it on youtube now, and that bong sound is really irritating.
posted by Pendragon at 1:43 PM on September 8, 2016

My Netflix has both the hour-long horrible documentary blabbing version and the full one when I searched for "Slow TV".

It's great TV to just have on while puttering or playing with the cat. The long tunnels trolled me with "Why dark? Still? Still dark? What? TV, are you okay?" even when I knew perfectly well that there are a lot of tunnels and had been through many shorter tunnels already. And then the tunnels started to make me a little claustrophobic (the really long ones)... leading to a wonderful relief to come back out into the open, or even back out into the semi-darkness of the snow sheds. So good!

I really hope they make more of these. Even just rail journey ones -- there are lot of visually stunning passenger train routes in the world.
posted by janell at 2:34 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

The BBC did one with a bus just recently.
posted by BungaDunga at 3:06 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pop quiz to see who's paying attention:

Where in the train is the cafeteria located?
posted by roger ackroyd at 5:57 PM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

love the subtitles
posted by naju at 11:23 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

between cars 445 and 446, yes?

We've been watching this in small chunks, typically while working on a jigsaw puzzle. The cat seems to like it.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 8:07 AM on September 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

Correct!

"For new passengers on this train, we remind you that we have a cafeteria in this train between cars 445 and 446. You can buy cold and warm drinks, small hot meals, snacks and chocolate. You're welcome!"
posted by roger ackroyd at 8:40 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oops my bad! The 7-hour version is indeed there in addition to the shorter version. Cool!
posted by Clustercuss at 9:33 AM on September 9, 2016

I legit watched this last weekend while puttering around and doing some writing. It was very soothing, but jeeze, that bong noise got really annoying. I did like the subtitles though, even if they seemed vaguely ominous when accompanied by the total darkness of tunnels.
posted by yasaman at 10:26 AM on September 9, 2016

[phone rings]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:53 PM on September 10, 2016

Do they still have a smoking carriage on Norwegian trains? I went on a long trip there once and have never been anywhere as smoke befouled as the smoking carriage, but that was 20 years ago.
posted by biffa at 11:51 AM on September 12, 2016

For those among you who loved Bergensbanen Minutt for Minutt, there's a torrent out there of the full 150-ish hour Hurtigruten boat route that goes from Bergen way up past Hammerfest up north, recorded in the summer, so you get 24-hour light. It's a great thing to just have running down in the corner of the screen or on a second monitor.
posted by tclark at 1:28 PM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

there's a torrent out there of the full 150-ish hour Hurtigruten boat route

I'm seeing a total file size of 595 GB. Ouch. If any Netflix people are reading this to gauge the public reaction - 1) we are loving Slow TV! 2) more please! 3) add the Hurtigruten one!
posted by naju at 4:08 AM on September 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the size. I actually ended up buying an external HD for it.
posted by tclark at 8:41 AM on September 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Half of Norway watched the Hurtigruten voyage on TV, with people meeting the ship at certain points to see themselves on TV as extras. - source
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:05 AM on September 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

Reminder — it’s the perfect time of the year for a rewatch!
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:48 AM on December 22, 2017

Just a thought, but a communal Fanfare watch of ... the 134 hour Hurtigruten Ferry Journey? In one continuous go.

We could either:
- stop when the last one awake is no longer able to stay awake
- dip in and out as sleep/awake/life permits

The one rule being that the video keeps going, even if there are periods when no-one is watching it.
posted by Wordshore at 5:14 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]