23 Paces to Baker Street

[Marky B]

Mind you , Kubrick kept the tradition alive and well recently with "Eyes Wide Shut"by recreating New York at Sheperton Studios England and using second unit establishing shots of the real New York and doubles for Cruise in the long shots and so on.

The trend now seems to be to create whole cities and countries in the studio or backlot with the aid of CGI! Or else have another city or country stand in for somehwere else! I think films are returning more and more to the tradition of working within a studio even for exteriors, just like the old days, but now the sets can be augmented with CGI. The American audience may have an idealised and mythical view of London based on how it is depicted on film, the equivelent for us Brits is perhaps our mythical view of a city like New York with many films set there actually filmed on the streets of LA or a west coast studio backlot, a trend still very much in evidence today, I happened to catch the end of "Phonebooth" on tv last night, set on a New York street but filmed in downtown LA. I think the reality is that filmakers will use whatever means at their diposal and within their budget to get the desired result. In Kubricks case going to the US to film would have seemed more logical, but then as we all know, Kubrick never liked to go too far from base camp in St Albans!

As far as I am aware,Kubrick never left England after he had made Lolita here. I haven't seen Lolita for years (and I am not duly bothered about watching it again),but there was a scene supposedly set in small town USA,and it was clearly a British location with uniform terraced houses.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[vanmunchen]

Good to see 23 Paces to Baker Street shown on Film 4 today in the correct ratio 2.35:1 and in stereo. Great opening panoramic shot of the River Thames and Embankment.

[daveoc]

I caught this when it was last shown.



I'd not heard of it but from the review I thought I would give it a go.



Am I glad I did. What an excellent film, very underated.

[vanmunchen]

There's another chance to see this on Film 4 on 13 December.

[Number Six]

Yes, great film and Van Johnson was a very versatile actor, apprearing in a whole range of things - as The Minstrel in Batman in 1966 to roles in Murder, She Wrote in the 80s and 90s. I agree about the great London location shots too - shame its nearly all gone now.

[Ray]

I recall seeing this on a wet afternoon many years ago. I remember it as a pacey thriller, with an actor I never really embraced, BUT! he was really excellent as the blind man that overhears an assasination plot in a London pub. Van Johnson was the lead, and that brilliant Irish actor Liam Redmond was a villain. The tense ending whith all the lights out....super stuff.

Anyone remember this British film.

I have always loved this film since I saw it at the Garrison Cinema, Catterick, when it was first released. Van and Vera Miles were also excellent in Beyond This Place (1959), and had some great British actors supporting them, Jean Kent, Emlyn Williams, and Bernard Lee.

[Freddy]

. . . and that brilliant Irish actor Liam Redmond was a villain. The tense ending whith all the lights out....super stuff.

Anyone remember this British film.

When after murdering someone Liam Redmond refuses a cup of tea as it keeps him awake at night.

[Alan]

This shows up on Channel Four/Film Four/More Four quite a bit, a nice 'scope & stereo transfer. I've got it on my Sky Plus. Great 50's London location filming. I'm not sure where Baker Street comes into it, as he lives in a flat overlooking the Thames!

[CaptainWaggett]

This shows up on Channel Four/Film Four/More Four quite a bit, a nice 'scope & stereo transfer. I've got it on my Sky Plus. Great 50's London location filming. I'm not sure where Baker Street comes into it, as he lives in a flat overlooking the Thames!

It's specified as being on Portman Square (just behind Selfridges - nice!) but it does have a rather remarkable view - 'Look, there's Westminster Abbey, and Battersea Power Station , and if you look that way - Hampstead Heath'

[darrenburnfan]

American film companies have always had an unintentionally hilarious view of London geography...mistakes that would largely go unnoticed by American audiences.

[waldo_lydecker]

It's on again now, on C4. Great little movie, it'd make a good double bill with Rear Window.

[vanmunchen]

Available now as an exclusive from Movie Mail on the Odeon label. First DVD release in the UK.