GB 1973 2hrs 58mins Dir: Lindsay Anderson Starring: Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren
The life and adventures of a trainee salesman
This sprawling, surrealist musical serves as an allegory for the pitfalls of capitalism, as it follows the adventures of a young coffee salesman in Europe. Many actors play multiple roles, giving the film a stagy tone, but it is quite confusing. A number of railway scenes feature in this odd production including an aerial view of the approaches to London Paddington. London Transport C stock is visible at Royal Oak Underground station, and plenty of wagons are present in Paddington Goods depot. There are also good shots of the approaches to London Cannon Street station and a number of blue-liveried EPB EMU’s can be seen. Finally, Malcolm McDowell drives over a level crossing on the way into ‘Cochranes Steel & Iron Works’. The exact location of this industrial site is not known, but it has been suggested that this may be the Clay Lane entrance to Cleveland Works, now gone. If so, then this is South Bank, Teesside. There is also an elevated shot of the entrance to Tottenham Court Road Underground station, although it isn’t all that apparent at first glance.