GB 1966 1hr 53mins Dir: Lewis Gilbert Starring: Michael Caine and Vivian Merchant
The adventures of an irresponsible Cockney lothario
There are a number of good railway scenes in this drama. An early scene is shot on the banks of the Thames opposite Lots Road Power Station and a loco-hauled freight crosses Battersea Bridge in the background, though the distant image is silhouetted and indistinct. There is also a scene in the Regents Canal Basin outside St. Pancras station with a DMU, almost certainly a Class 127, visible in the background. Perhaps the best scene depicts Michael Caine walking down a street in Brixton; his face is in close-up with the background blurred, but none the less we get a great shot of a BR green-liveried Class 71 electro-diesel passing behind him, a very rare loco in feature film. Finally, there is a brief scene filmed at Temple Underground station, a shot of the frontage to St. Margarets BR station, and a scene on the concourse of London Waterloo with Southern Railway EMUs present and what looks likely to be a ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic.
Michael Caine bids farewell to Millicent Martin in the ticket hall of Temple Underground station
John Carter waits for his wife outside of St. Margarets station, Twickenham. As it is located opposite Twickenham Studios it is perhaps unsurprising to find that the station has made a number of appearances in film over the years.
The shot of the platforms at London Waterloo. Among all the EMU’s and just visible on the far right is a ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic, its yellow nose can be seen beneath the large advertising board.
Although cropped, blurry and far from clear, this is one of the rarest locos to appear in a feature film. The Class 71 in original, as-delivered condition, probably passed by purely by chance.
The DMU can be seen passing over the Regent’s Canal on its way into St Pancras station, which is behind the camera to the left. The roof in the background belonged to Cambridge Street Goods Depot.
What could be a Class 33 on presflo cement tanks is crossing Battersea Railway Bridge behind Graham Stark, but that is pure guesswork on my behalf. The locomotive is immediately to the right of his head, with the long gone Fulham Power Station in the background.
