GB
1969
1hr 47mins
Dir: Jack Couffer
Starring: Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna
A man buys an otter and moves to the Scottish Highlands
This feature film was adapted from the 1960 autobiographical book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell. As he sets off for Scotland with his otter on a lead, Bill Travers is shown arriving at London Victoria station, only to then be seen buying a ticket on the concourse of London Marylebone! No trains are visible at either, and not much more is seen of the Highlands journey apart from a distant dark ‘day for night’ shot of a train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct and some scenes onboard Mk.1 sleeper stock. There is then one final railway scene, filmed at Arrivan user-worked crossing adjacent to the A85 road at Milepost 39, between Tyndrum Lower and Dalmally stations on the line from Crianlarich to Oban. This is a shame really as an awful lot of railway footage was filmed for this movie but never used. The producers took some fabulous and very rare shots of Class 21/29 diesels on the West Highland Line but at least these can be found on Video 125’s Diesels & Electrics on 35mm DVD.
