GB / AUS
2013
1hr 56mins
Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman
A former British Army officer discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment as a PoW is still alive and sets out to confront him
This war drama is an adaptation of the bestselling autobiography of the same name by Eric Lomax, published in 1995. It has some very good railway scenes early on that were filmed at Perth station, with BR maroon-liveried Mk.1 coaching stock provided by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society forming the train. In the first scene as Colin Firth runs to get on the train at Platform 3, Perth stands in as ‘Crewe’ and Corridor Brake Standard No.35185 is one coach that is identifiable. The scenes onboard the train were filmed on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, though Platform 4 at Perth can be seen through the window as the train initially departs. There is then a very good run by of Class 45 ‘Peak’ No. D123 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry on the Great Central Railway with a train of maroon Mk.1’s before Perth is then seen again, masquerading this time as ‘Edinburgh Waverley’, and the train is standing at Platform 5 with 37676 Loch Rannoch at the helm. For the arrival at ‘Perth’ in these scenes the train is in fact arriving at Bo’ness, and through the carriage window, an unidentified diesel shunter is seen passing behind Colin Firth. The shot of the ‘Peak’ is actually stock footage, having originally been filmed for the 2010 film Cemetery Junction (qv)! Other shots filmed at Bo’ness appear throughout the movie. There is a good platform level shot and Mk,1 Open Standard No.4856 is visible in another. The traumatic scene whereby Stellan Skarsgård hangs himself from the station footbridge was also filmed at Bo’ness, though it was implied in the film as being Warminster. Finally, there is a shot of Colin Firth overlooking the Royal Border Bridge and a very rare shot filmed beneath the arches of the bridge on the southern banks of the River Tweed at Tweedmouth. This imposing structure has featured surprisingly little in UK films.
