''Underground'' is a 1928 British silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

and starring

Brian Aherne William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. His first Broadway appearance in ''The Barretts of W ...

Elissa Landi Elissa Landi (born Elisabeth Marie Christine Kühnelt; December 6, 1904 – October 21, 1948) was an Austrian-American actress born in Venice, who was popular as a performer in Hollywood films of the 1920s and 1930s. She was noted for her a ...

Cyril McLaglen Cyril McLaglen (1899–1987) was a British actor who appeared in a variety of films between 1920 and 1951. He was born in London in 1899 and made his film debut in the 1920 film ''The Call of the Road''. He was the younger brother of the acto ...

, and

Norah Baring Norah Baring (26 November 1905 – 8 February 1985), born Nora Minnie Baker, was an English stage and film actress most famous on screen for portraying "Diana Baring" in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller ''Murder!'' (1930). She is also known for pla ...

. The film examines the lives of ordinary Londoners and the romance between them, set on and around the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

Plot

An electrician and a porter both fall in love with a shop girl they meet on the

Cast

as Bill *

as Nell *

as Bert, Power station worker *

as Kate, Seamstress

Production

''Underground'' was made by

British Instructional Films British Instructional Films was a British film production company which operated between 1919 and 1932. The company's name is often abbreviated to BIF. The company released a number of feature films during the late silent and early sound eras, d ...

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

and

Cricklewood Studios Cricklewood Studios, also known as the Stoll Film Studios, were British film studios located in Cricklewood, London which operated from 1920 to 1938. Run by Sir Oswald Stoll as the principal base for his newly formed Stoll Pictures, which also ...

and on location in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

including scenes shot at

Lots Road Power Station Lots Road Power Station is a disused coal and later oil-fired and later gas-fired power station on the River Thames at Lots Road in Chelsea, London in the south-west of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, which supplied electricity to ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. The film was based on an original scenario written by Asquith.

Restoration

''Underground'' was restored in 2009 under the auspices of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

(BFI). In 2011, composer and well-known silent film accompanist

Neil Brand Neil Brand (born 18 March 1958) is an English dramatist, composer and author. In addition to being a regular silent film accompanist at London's National Film Theatre, Brand has composed new scores for two restored films from the 1920s, '' The ...

wrote a completely new score for the film, which was then premiered by the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

in London.Barbican – ‘Underground’ with BBC Symphony Orchestra performing a new score by Neil Brand
(2011), www.artshead.co.uk

References

Bibliography

* Ryall, Tom. ''Anthony Asquith''. Manchester University Press, 2005.

External links

''Underground'' at IMDB''Underground'' at BFI Database

''Sight & Sound'' article on Asquith's film

''Sight & Sound'' online review of the premiere of the BFI restoration

''Silent London'' article on Neil Brand's new score for ''Underground''
(with video clip) 1928 films 1928 drama films British black-and-white films Films directed by Anthony Asquith British silent feature films Films shot at British International Pictures Studios Films set on the London Underground Films set in London British drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent drama films {{1920s-UK-film-stub