When Dirk Bogarde Filmed In Chiswick

Location has barely changed since Victim was made in 1961

The landmark 1961 thriller Victim traces a secretive gay London and many of its scenes were filmed in Chiswick.

The film portrays a group of gay men and centres around the story of successful barrister Melville Far (Dirk Bogarde) – who are being blackmailed by someone willing to expose their secret.

The subject of how the locations used in the film have survived relatively intact is discussed by writer Ben Nicolson in an article in BFI 'Film Forever', where he writes:

"Melville and Laura live in Chiswick in west London, and when I arrived there on a scorching June morning it was striking to note just how unchanged the area appeared since the film was shot there more than half a century ago. London is a city whose architectural identity exists as a balance between new and old, between development and preservation. Chiswick, with its leafy streets, spacious period homes and listed buildings fits firmly in the latter category, remaining largely untouched."

"Melville’s house is on the riverfront Chiswick Mall, which boasts a hedgerow of beautiful wildflowers opposite an array of luxurious homes, including 17th-century mansions. At the end of the mall stands the recently restored St Nicholas Church, a little square church with a tower dating back to the 15th century. Here Melville walks through the sun-dappled grounds that provide the resting place of William Hogarth. "

Another location used in the movie is Ravenscourt Park School which has changed somewhat since the location was used in the film. However, it still retains the original brick building with the stone archway which was used in the film.

You can read the article and see more photographs here.

July 29, 2017