Outside of the Fifties, I know but this well loved film seems to have been shown regularly in every decade since it was made.

BELOW – I have come across some photographs From the making of the film – Pictures that I have never seen before

ABOVE – During the filming at Denham, The crew and cast very often did not leave the set and instead improvised their own canteen by bringing in desks and chairs so that they could all eat together – which they tended to do

ABOVE – Open air shots are of course weather dependent. All things were good for this scene early in the film where Magwitch first appears.

ABOVE – These dramatic scenes in the very early part of the film, when Pip played by Anthony Wager wanders in the Churchyard and turns and bumps into Magwitch – a meeting that is to change the whole course of his life

BELOW – David Lean leads the charge across a chain of pontoons to where the filming of the river police chase for the fugitive Magwitch is to be done. This is much later in the film. John Mills is seen here in costume as the grown up Pip

BELOW – David Lean looks to be well wrapped up as he chats to Alec Guinness who is playing the part of Herbert Pocket.

BELOW – A very early scene. This time Anthony Wager as the young Pip plays out this scene – I think this is the one with the Church in the background – which was a model but beautifully done

ABOVE – The Crew ready to film the action with David Lean seated in the foreground

ABOVE – David Lean with J.Arthur Rank

For some reason I am not a fan of David Lean but having said that, you have to acknowledge what a great film director he was.

Maybe it was because of a TV documentary about the making of ‘A Passage to India’ – there was one sequence after Alec Guinness had just completed a scene and David Lean turned to one of his staff and said ‘ He is still good – the old bugger’

Maybe it was a joke but I felt it was uncalled for