Overall, I am a movie lover and always have been. There is, however, something special about movies set in London. For me personally, there is usually something magical about them.
I've come up with a bit of a list of my favourite movies that have a London feel or are set in London. I didn't number all of them so I've listed some and have a top 5 list towards the end of this post. If you've noticed the lack of Christmas movies, there is a purpose to that. They can be found here.
So here we go:
Eccentric Characters
In Peter Ackroyd's book, London: The Biography, he talks about eccentric characters who, although they didn't make the Main Character List in the history books, they still contributed to the fabric of London's history in their small ways. Eventually someone comes across their story and thinks it deserves telling. The movie about The Lady in the Van tells such a story.
Starring Dame Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van is based off of the true story by writer Alan Bennett, and his interactions with Mary Sheppard, an elderly woman who lives in an old van on his driveway for 15 years. The story is told between two versions of the writer, his real self and writer self.
The movie was shot in North London and in Camden Town, in and around Bennett's old home, where Sheppard lived.
A blue plaque rests on his home in London dedicated to the "Lady in the van."
Dame Maggie Smith previously played Sheppard in a stage play and radio adaptation.
Royalty
There have been many movies featuring royalty throughout the history of movie making. We have a need to feel like we are peering into the lives of those we don't know. I picked two movies that featured different stories than we are used to.
In The King's Speech we watch the background struggles of a future King who trains to overcome a speech impediment. It follows the timeframe from when Prince Albert stammers during a speech at Wembley, the death of George V, the abdication of King Edward VIII, and the installment of King George VI. Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, is summoned to Buckingham Palace to assist the new King in delivering one of the most important speeches, the King's speech, after Britain has declared war on Nazi Germany.
Lionel attended all of the King's speeches and they remained friends until the King's death in 1952.
The friendship between Victoria & Abdul was mostly unknown until undiscovered diaries were found by Shrabani Basu, the author of Victoria & Abdul. Letters between the two also contributed to the telling of this story.
Mr. Karim was sent to London from India to serve the Queen's table at her Golden Jubilee in 1887. They became friends quite quickly which concerned the family. The Royal Family and those around them attempted to break up the friendship, but the Queen pressed on, going so far as inviting Abdul as a principal mourner to her funeral.
There are rumours Victoria and Abdul's relationship went further than a close friendship. Victoria often drew hearts in her letters, which was uncommon at the time. At this time, however, there is no solid proof that theirs was anything but a close bond.
Nostalgic 90's
Ahh, the 90's. The best decade for rom-coms, in my opinion. Here are two I love to this day:
Notting Hill is abut a bookshop owner who falls in love with an actress who meanders into his shop. They meet secretly to avoid the press, but their relationship is revealed and they have to learn to navigate the pressures that come with fame.
I love this movie for the scenes in Portobello Market and the main character's (William Thacker) bookshop. The bookshop is cozy, just like you'd imagine all of London's bookshops to be.
It took Curtis 17 drafts to reach the final version. He began writing the scripts at age 34 when he realized he attended 65 weddings in an 11 year period. The movie is based off his own experience, having turned down a guest at a wedding and forever regretting it.
I love Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell together in this movie. And yes, I know these two movies have the same theme: British men falling in love with American women.
Film location shoutout: St. Bartholomew The Great church in Smithfield, the 12th Century Norman Church.
Top 5
5. Miss Potter
Miss Potter is based on the life of the children's author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter. The movie combines her story and animations of the characters from her stories, like Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit. It follows Potter's journey of being published and personal journey of her relationship with her publisher.
Filming locations include Cecil Court, Osterley Park, Covent Garden and the Isle of Man.
The Hill Top House featured in the film was once owned by Beatrix Potter and is now owned by the National Trust.
4. Paddington
From
IMDB, Paddington is about a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington station, he meets the kindly Brown family who offer him a temporary home.
Film locations include the exterior of Marylebone Station, interior of Paddington Station, Portobello Road and Alice's Antiques, Pall Mall, Hampstead, and the Natural History Museum.
Some trivia: Hugh Bonneville was scared to do the movie because he knew how important Paddington is to British culture, calling the character, "a part of the DNA of the UK", and Nicole Kidman's childhood wish was to have Paddington live in her home.
Paddington was created based on a lone teddy bear, noticed by author Michael Bond on a shelf in a London store near Paddington Station, Christmas Eve 1956. The author bought the bear for his wife and was inspired to write a story. The idea of the lonely bear at Paddington Station was inspired by old newsreels showing train-loads of child evacuees leaving London during World War II, with labels around their necks and their possessions in small suitcases.
A third film is in the works.
3. Goodbye Christopher Robin
Goodbye Christopher Robin is a biographical drama about A.A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin Milne.
The movie follows Milne's experience during the first world war and the shell shock that blocks Milne from writing. To clear his head, he and his son, Christopher, head to the country, where they take walks in the woods. Christopher creates stories with his plush toys which inspire Milne to create the Winnie the Pooh series. The stories become popular and the family must learn to navigate their newfound fame.
It's a rather sad story, as most war stories are, but it opens our eyes to the stories behind the creation of Winnie the Pooh.
The story is special to me because of the local connection. Christopher Milne named his toy bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear he saw at the London Zoo. The bear cub was purchased from a hunter for twenty dollars by Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn while on his way to England during the first world war. Colebourn named the bear Winnie, after his hometown, and where I live now, Winnipeg.
2. Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins is based off the books of the same name written by P.L. Travers. Travers did not originally want the books converted to films, but warmed up to the idea. She regretted it after the release, however.
Mary Poppins Returns saw original cast member Dick Van Dyke return with an amazing dance number.
Someone wrote that Mary Poppins is a love letter to London and I couldn't agree more. There are beautiful shots of Elizabeth Tower, St. Paul's, Embankment, the Royal Exchange building, and a musical number in Middle Temple, among other locations.
Some trivia: During the writing of the original movie, Dame Julie Andrews was offered the role but she turned it down because she was pregnant. Production was delayed to accommodate her. Ironically, Emily Blunt was also pregnant and production also delayed this time around for the same reason.
Mind the gap: The 54 year gap between the original and sequel is the longest for a live action movie.
Emily Blunt's interpretation of the Mary Poppins character is closer to the original. This is because Blunt read the books to prepare for the role.
The movie has hand-drawn animation, a rare addition to current Disney movies. The last movie to include hand-drawn animation was Winnie the Pooh (2011).
YouTube
1. Finding Neverland
If Paddington is the DNA of London and the UK, then Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie are the oxygen. Barrie and Peter Pan ARE London, in my opinion. I'm excited every time a new rendition of the Peter Pan story is released. I also love that Barrie gave the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, so that every new book, movie, or show earns money for the hospital.
Finding Neverland is about Barrie and the inspiration he finds from the Llewelyn children, who he met in Kensington Gardens. The Llewelyn boys' mom is sick, and Barrie helps the boys use their young imaginations to lighten the mood whenever they can. The boys, in return, help Barrie use his imagination to bring joy to his growing audience.
He released the story originally as a play in 1904 and further developed the story into a novel titled Peter and Wendy in 1911.
In the movie, producer Frohman played by Dustin Hoffman, is apprehensive about the play. In real life, however, Frohman was excited for the play whereas Barrie was sure it would be a flop.
Thankfully it wasn't, and we can still create and watch adaptations of Peter Pan today.
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