DECLINE AND FALL… OF A BIRDWATCHER

GB
1968
1hr 53mins
Dir: John Krish
Starring: Robin Philips and Geneviève Page

A naive young man sent down from Oxford, blunders through a series of bizarre adventures

The basis for this De Luxe comedy film is the 1928 novel Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, though it has been updated to contemporary times. It notably features two shots of passing trains, the first is a going away shot of a Blue Pullman, and the second is a particularly fine view of an express hauled by a two-tone green Class 47 passing along the bank of a river. There is then one final scene filmed at a wayside halt, but the exact location is not yet known.

A Blue Pullman streaks past the camera somewhere on the Western Region. Is that a milepost leaning against the permanent way hut?
The train merges into the next frame just in time for us to see that two Blue Pullman sets are coupled together and we get a glimpse of the full yellow end. These appeared on the Blue Pullman sets from 1967, but somewhat ruined the aesthetics of the otherwise attractive livery.
This really lovely shot shows a Class 47 hauled express passing a river, though the location is sadly unknown
A green Rolls-Royce pulls up outside a small halt, given the comedy name of Kings Thursday in the film! It is not known yet which station played the part.