GB
1967
1hr 44mins
Dir: Jack Clayton
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Yootha Joyce
Seven children keep the death of their mother quiet until their estranged father returns
This drama is deeply religious, deeply depressing, and unforgivingly cruel, yet at the same time it is a masterpiece of fearful suspense, largely told through the eyes of the children, whose fear of isolation (and the orphanage) only helps to create the tension. It was based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag and includes a scene where the children are rowing a boat in a lake filled with plastic dinosaurs. In this scene a formation of Southern Region 4 SUB EMU’s passes on an embankment in the background, and this was filmed using the Lower Lake in Crystal Palace Park, London SE20.
