Underground (1928)

Underground (Dir: Anthony Asquith, 1928).

Rightly regarded as a milestone in British cinema, Anthony Asquith's silent romantic drama Underground offers a fascinating view of the London Underground almost a century ago. 

Detailing the lives of four metropolitans whose lives and loves intertwine on the sublevel transportation network; clean-cut porter Bill (Brian Aherne) and creepy power station employee Bert (Cyril McLaglen) are rivals for the affection of shop assistant Nell (Elissa Landi). After their 'meet cute' over a lost pair of gloves on the steps of a station elevator, Nell, of course, succumbs to the charms of Bill rather than the unwanted attentions of brash Burt, and for 20 odd minutes viewers would be forgiven for thinking they were engaging in a lighthearted romcom. However, a marked shift in tone occurs with the introduction of Kate (Norah Baring), a lovelorn seamstress in a dead-end relationships with Burt. Desperate to win the hand of Nell, Burt coerces Kate with the promise of marriage into blackening Bill's reputation. What follows is a dark, yet engrossing thriller of sexual obsession and embittered revenge; culminating in an exciting climax which takes us from the rooftop of the Lots Road power station before descending into the darkness of the Northern Line.

While early experiments in sound cinema are often marred by static camera work, this movie from the tail-end of the silent era has no such limitations. From the opening driver's eye view of a tube train emerging from the dark of the tunnel to a crowded platform - a scene mirrored in the film's closing - Underground has a visceral modernity, thanks to the tight direction of Anthony Asquith and the artful cinematography of Stanley Rodwell. 

Asquith was to become a key figure in British filmmaking, later helming classics such as Pygmalion (A Asquith, 1938) and The Way to the Stars (A Asquith, 1945). Astonishingly, Underground was only his second directorial credit. The movie is expertly crafted, displaying the influence of German Expressionism and Soviet Montage cinema, evidenced vividly in a rapidly edited pub punch-up culminating with the distorted reflection of the perpetrators in the broken barroom mirror. There is palpable sense of the bustling metropolis in scenes of claustrophobic cramped carriages and crowded platforms, familiar to anyone who has ever experienced the Tube at rush hour. 

Silent cinema is often associated with over-expressive performances, yet, as an early example of British cinema's long association with realism, the actors are suitably naturalistic. With only four main characters, the movie is particularly dependent upon the cast and all acquit themselves well, especially Norah Baring, who lends a particularly affecting vulnerability to the role of unlucky in love Kate. 

 

Almost a century after release, Underground the movie is as sleek and stylish as the famed Edward Johnson designed London Underground roundel. The movie is as equally impressive as its more acclaimed contemporary talkie Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock, 1929), with Asquith proving as adept in his knowledge of the language of cinema as Hitchcock himself. With fascinating footage of the Tube, public transport freaks and British movie geeks alike will find much to enjoy in this hugely entertaining and highly recommended classic.