occurs at the end of the film : The script called for the Spyker ’ s wheels to become trapped in tramlines , but the capital ’ s tram service had ended in July 1952 , three months before filming commenced . By then , London Transport was already removing the tracks .
From a 2023 perspective , one of the many fascinations of this extensive location work is how it captures a changing automotive landscape . At times , Genevieve almost appears to be a Ladybird Book vision of the Home Counties , while London , to quote the architectural historian Gavin Stamp , is “ shabby and ravaged , full of bomb sites and dereliction , and yet which is somehow authentic ”. Many vehicles on screen are pre-war : a midwife drives a 1932 Morris Minor , and a newsreel company favours a Ford V8 ‘ Woody ’ shooting brake as a camera car .
Budget meant Cornelius could only afford to pay his two principal actors £ 2,000 each
The footage also contains signs of nascent consumerism : by 1952 , the ‘ Export or Die ’ era was coming to an end , and petrol rationing had ceased two years earlier . The street scenes contain Triumph Renowns , Morris MS Sixes and Austin A70 Herefords , while a Morris-Commercial transporter laden with Oxford Morris Oxfords is seen heading down Kennington Road . Perhaps the most notable member of the automotive supporting cast is the factory-provided 1946 red Allard K1 . Allard ’ s assistance on the film extended to creating a dummy cockpit to accommodate the well-built frame of Reginald Beckwith , the actor who played the K1 ’ s put-upon driver . ( Allard devotees have been known to weep in its pranging scene , but they will be relieved to learn that the car survived and emigrated to the United States .)
The shooting schedule was 57 days , with Cadby often taking the Darracq ’ s wheel or the crew mounting a mock-up of the car on the back of a ‘ Queen Mary ’ lorry , previously used for transporting wartime aircraft . The film also employed another flatbed lorry , without a cab , for the forward shots . More was seen handling the Spyker with “ surprising skill ,” but Gregson did not hold a driving licence when filming commenced . He did , however , pilot the Darracq for a few scenes , and Sheridan remembered “ trying not to be seen giving him instructive help out of the side of my mouth ”. Anyone who thought the actor looked nervous when he set off from the Royal Courts of Justice into The Strand ’ s traffic would be right .
Shooting ended in February 1953 , and Genevieve became the UK ’ s second most successful box office
attraction . The British Film Academy declared it the “ Best British Film of The Year ”. Seven decades later , it is rightly regarded as one of the finest pictures of its era due to its direction , Larry Adler ’ s music , and its cast , both human and automotive . Equally important , the screenplay by Rose , an American expatriate , has an affectionate but not uncritical eye for British eccentricities .
( On a final note , as a mark of how remote 1953 now appears , a 2023 version of Genevieve would probably feature an unofficial race between a 1974 Rover 2200TC and a 1975 Triumph 2500S !)
Look out for Genevieve and the Spyker on this year ’ s Veteran Car Run , bearing the same entry numbers from the 1953 film , 27 and 14 respectively . -
18 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run