RIDE OF THE VALKYRIE

GB
1967
15mins
Dir: Peter Brook
Starring: Frank Thornton and Julia Foster

A pompous opera star struggles to get to his opening night at the Royal Opera House

This short, 15 minute musical drama, opens with a montage of shots representing a journey through Europe which features an over the camera shot of an ex-LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and several heavily obscured shots of passing trains. Most notable is the later sequence filmed on the London Underground using 1959-stock on the Aldwych branch shuttle. Both Holborn and Aldwych stations appear as ‘Covent Garden’ but the first shot uses the ticket hall at Knightsbridge. There is also a brief glimpse of the old station house at Chiswick. This film formed the ‘Zero’ part of Red, White and Zero, a film in three parts, though they are listed under their individual titles here. See also Red and Blue (‘Red’) and The White Bus (‘White’).

The screen says Vienna, yet the train is English, and appears to be hauled by a ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0
For what it is worth the building on the right of this shot is the old station house belonging to Chiswick, though it is not actually a part of the station itself and it is now a pub.
Zero Mostel and Julia Foster in the ticket hall of Knightsbridge Underground station
An elaborately dressed Zero Mostel at Holborn.
This is the Aldwych branch platform at Holborn, with a train of 1959-stock in the platform
An interior view of a 1959 train
Having begun his journey at Knightsbridge, Zero Mostel has arrived at Aldwych and makes his way out of the platform
And decides to take the stairs to the street above.