The London Traveler

Book review: Movie London

by Andrea on May 25th, 2008

Ever seen a view from the top of a London bus and thought ‘Wasn’t that in James Bond?” or “That’s in one of those Hitchcock films, isn’t it - but which one?”

If  so, Movie London (from Titan Books, £9.99 RRP - or £6.49 on Amazon.co.uk) can help you out.

If you’re touring London, a geographical section tracks down film locations for you in each of the city’s districts.

On the other hand if you’re a serious fan of a particular film-maker or genre, there are chapters dealing with gangster movies, Hitchcock, James Bond, and the swinging sixties - and more.

There’s an immense wealth of information in this book. It’s not a book for reading, I think - the type size is quite small - so much as for dipping into or using on the run, as you tour the film sites.

It’s amazing what different places have been used for. The Old Bailey is an obvious icon in any movie to do with court cases - but in The Jokers, the scales of the figure of Justice atop the Old Bailey are used as a depository for the stolen Crown Jewels, and in V for Vendetta the whole place is blown up. Old Shad Thames with its warehouses features in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and The Elephant Man - but also in Bridget Jones’s Diary!

I’m going to be blogging a few sites of interest to movie lovers over the next few months - using the book as my guide. Unfortunately, as a big Kurosawa and Bergman fan, I’m a bit behind on London related films - but I’m going to try hard to catch up, with a big dose of Ealing Comedy and some gangster movies to start with.

Photo credit: Matt Fetterley on Flickr

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POSTED IN: History & Information, film