Return Of The Scorcher

Not the story of Sherman's ghost making another deep South run to the sea, Return of the Scorcher is about the renewed interest in bicycling. The term "scorcher" was used to denote bicyclists during the 1890s (which, if you'll recall, was before the introduction of the Budweiser Rocket [638.637 m.p.h.]), when bicycles were considered to be very fast. Filmed in Europe, China, and the U.S., the program looks at the way bicycles are used worldwide, ranging from the mostly recreational use in the United States to the humongous Monday morning Huffy traffic jam in major Chinese cities. Actually, according to cycling expert George Bliss, the Chinese are quite amazing in their abilities to keep thousands of bicycles running smoothly (and we are treated to some amazing footage of what looks like a two-wheeled variety of the L.A. freeway). Bliss says that during the time he and his compadres spent in China, they witnessed only three bicycle accidents, each of which they were involved in. We meet other interesting folk: an elderly couple in the Netherlands who have cycled for years, an European artist who tows her gallery by bike, a traveler named "Kash" for whom bicycling is evidently a spiritual experience (with a few temporal problems--such as washing one's clothes when traveling light, which Kash demonstrates how to do). Running throughout the program is a deeper environmental and philosophical thread, of course. Bicycles don't pollute, they provide an excellent means of exercise, and they allow the commuter to interact more naturally with his world (although this sometimes means having a jerkwad motorist give you the finger). An excellent inspirational program which will definitely appeal to bikers, and may well inspire others to take a spin themselves. Highly recommended. (See COYOTE­LAND for availability.)