KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR

GB
1937
1hr 47mins
Dir: Jacques Feyder
Starring: Robert Donat and Marlene Dietrich

A countess is aided in her escape from the Russian Revolution by a British translator

This historical drama was based on the 1933 James Hilton novel Knight Without Armour but it is often styled as Knight without Armor. It has some rather unusual railway scenes as this was the production for which a railway was specially built in the grounds of Denham Studios, with two ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0s, Nos.7541 and 7835, purchased by London Films and made to look like Russian locomotives together with some stock which was all branded С В Ж Д (SVZHD). One of the locos was renumbered 1430. The Denham scenes appear in the final half hour of the film which replicates a journey across Russia though there are some earlier scenes that were filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway and in doing so, this became one of the first feature films to use the Hampshire line. The scene at Charing Cross at the beginning is very obviously a set. It should be mentioned that the J15s survived at Denham for the duration of the Second World War before being sold to the Ministry of Defence and the tender of one very briefly appeared in South Riding 1938 (qv), probably by complete accident.

In one of the earlier railway shots, Robert Donat arrives at a rural Russian station that never sees any trains
This station set was apparently filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway
The train arrives on the studio track at Denham as Russian peasants hope to get aboard
In this scene of complete and utter chaos one gets a good glimpse of the motley collection of stock used to form the ‘train’
Even a station was built in the grounds of Denham studios, referred to in the film as ‘Kazan’. One of the J15 0-6-0 locomotives has just arrived in the platform.
A little later and the train arrives at another rural wayside halt complete with level crossing. The J15 is behind Robert Donat and Marlene Dietrich who have got off the train to stretch their legs. Notice the temporary nature of the permanent way that does not appear to be ballasted.
This close up glimpse of the locomotive has been included as it shows to some extent the disguise it carried to make it look Russian. This is loco 1430, the real identity of which is not known.