The 39 Steps - Big Ben scene

[whitstablejim1]

The Big Ben scene, all the closeup scenes were shot on a stage at Pinewood Studios. all outside shots were in Parliment Square. how do I know? because I was there.

J D P.

[jaxenlabs]

This should have been Rated R!

I saw some blood in it.

Even heard some language in it, too.

[atyxyt]

whoa

[palexandersquires]

I am intreged? how did they film this on big ben????

[ccccony]

There are a lot of things wrong with that comment (@elliottveares)

1. There's** break** mechanism** forbidden**

2. You forgot to continue numbering

3. If filming was forbidden then it should be obvious that the belfrey was fabricated

4. And breaking the clock face in a daredevil act is even more forbidden.

[KSE828]

1:30 doesn't even come close to high up that is............

[Super44Saints]

Can you upload the whole movie. i seen it when i was younger and can't find it anywhere

[scottishdragon1]

This film is absolutley nothing like the book, never are these days though

[IoannisElia]

Give me your hand  Dont be bloody stupid

[IoannisElia]

Give me your hand Dont be bloody stupid

[Agga1904]

great scene

[pandangzr1]

1930's one better eh. well i havent seen that one. i realy enjoyed the powell version. i never did read the book or even knew it was from one i was very young then and thought it was an awsome adventure. just curious how much better is the original ?

[pandangzr1]

i agree. regardless i think this version is the best. speaking of remakes. judging by the new sherlock holmes movie. i think not.

[BigBulgeCheeks]

No way, hitchcocks 1930's version shit's all over this one. It's still better than the 50's one and the bag of balls the BBC did in 2008, but never as good as the origional.

[steviesuperstar]

great film wish some one would up load it all, also powel is great in this. funny thing, why didnt they just turn the clock off

[cass2112]

although it strays from the original John Buchan book,this is one of the best versions, and Robert Powell is superb in the Richard Hannay role, wish they would make a film of Buchans other books,Greenmantle and Mr Standfast.

[ReloadPsi]

I don't know why, but I get this funny feeling that if somebody tried to re-adapt this story today it would suck horribly.

[willnotallow]

In oruginal film, there is continuity error in car chase, when two 'policemen' in a Ford Consul suddenly are driving a Ford Zephyr, then back again. Good trick!

[magdulienka1]

had this movie something with Hitchcocks 39 steps from year 1935?

[Guitfiddlejase]

Must agree with Croydel...This film is tremendous!!!!

[imooreory]

He didnt have to smash it theres a door there.

[Idude893]

Masterpiece

[croydel]

whatever you folk say about any errors in the film it dosent matter'this version of 39 steps is the best version of this classis story' by miles.

[KawhackitaRag]

yhahahahahahaha as a clock fanatic I can tell you up-front that in general, clock gears do NOT turn two directions, back and forth. The closest you'd ever get to that is on clocks with recoil escapements, the escape wheel reverses SLIGHTLY when the pallet engages, because of the sloped face. However, this motion is tiny compared to the forward motion when a pallet unhooks. Also, some clocks with remontoires have certain wheels in the remontoire train which reverse, but only periodically.

[KawhackitaRag]

Another couple of obvious errors are the small gears which are made to jump around in their bearings dramatically during the climactic bomb de-activation scene; they don't look like clock gears, but rather salvaged from some old auto transmission or factory machine; there are WAY too many gears clustered together on each arbor to be realistic. Plus, with that much play in the bearings, it's a wonder this fake clock didn't self destruct of it's own accord!

[KawhackitaRag]

(actually, it looks to me like some person off-camera is manually shaking these salvaged gears... nice "special effects" lol). About the only thing I can say nice about this is that they at least made the dials, clock room, and PART of the movement look similar to reality... but then again, look at the large gear to the left in 2:43, in a REAL clock the main wheels (and most gears except the escape wheel and one closest to it) move so slowly that they appear motionless!

[KawhackitaRag]

Since I'm in a ha-ha phase right now, I might as well add that in the REAL "big ben" clock, the bells are in a completely separate area an entire floor above the clock level and NOT hanging directly over the movement as here; finally, I should add that an average-size man might be able to stop the clock; it wouldn't wreck the escapement or pendulum at all because of the remontoire.

[KawhackitaRag]

Since the power goes from the weight and main wheels THROUGH the hands TO the remontoire, the small wheels (seen jumping around here) would NOT be affected by a person hanging on the hands. In fact, they would be motionless after one re-set cycle since the power from the main train would no longer be available to re-set the remontoire. Since the clock was slowed by heavy snow on the hands in the '60's I would assume a person hanging on the hand would completely stop it.

[KawhackitaRag]

If you all want to see some REAL tower clock movements, I suggest googling "mark frank tower clock"; this will bring up the website of a guy in the Chicago area who collects these.

[robskisEHS]

How the hell do you think you're gonna stop it?

[adamhermie]

Mythbuster should test this, not on big ben of course

[theo0331]

its clearly dangerous duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fenxian1]

Don't be bloody stupid!

[Cool2BCeltic]

Having seen Dan Cruickshank's documentary on the Palace of Westminster, there is a fair bit of dramatic licence here.

[StefanMcL]

Great scene, really great scene! I watched this when I was 10, 11 or so different times and never understood the plot - but this particular scene with its fantastic music never left my mind over the years. A breath-taking scene I missed in Hitchcock's original version from 1935.

[ssssroryssss2]

hahah. I was watching this while holding on to my computer desk! Yes, as you've guessed, I don't like hights :)

[jsXanatos]

great scene. i love the original hitchcock 1935 "39 steps" too.

[UpperClass184]

There are mistakes in this scene. Firstly, interior of the tower does not exactly look like that. There are light bulbs directly behined the clocks. Secondly, hanging of the hands would not stop the bomb, because the clocks work independantly.

[estdude]

firstly there wasnt lights in that year that this movie scenario seems to be, try with every clock you want if you stop clock hands then the full clock mechanism will stop.

[UpperClass184]

You are completely wrong. I have been on a Big Ben tour and the tour guide told me that that hanging on the hand would not stop the clock, so there.

[estdude]

has your tour guide hanged there? Is he physic scientist and can he say by visual watching how much extra load one mechanism can suffer?

I think that 100 extra kilos that wasnt planned originally by "Big Ben" watchmaker will probably stop that clock mechanism.

[23472349]

Shut up dickhead. It's a FILM.

[Symphonicprelude]

Does anyone know what year this particular version was made ?

[descartes62]

1978

[Cool2BCeltic]

For its time, quite realistic looking, although there is a bit of artistic licence with the London skyline and the view from Big Ben. These extras in Edwardian dress do very well. Just imagine how incredible this scene would look nowadays done with CGI and maybe Jude Law playing Hannay.

[UpperClass184]

Although this is a gripping and tension filled scene, there is one slight mistake. The pattern around the middle of the clock face which Hanny is climbing is actually gold, not black.

[nitrambran]

great film,i wouldnt want to be hagging that high up with no parachute,anyway all the best to you thanks.

[Tsugandate]

nice, but this has nothing to do with John Buchan version

[Renatodonadio]

That man risking life hanged to the minute hand trying to stop the mechanism didn't knew that you can stop Big Ben like you do with Granny Clock...only blocking with a finger the regulator arm (pendulum) :-D

[Renatodonadio]

That's probably the reason because the visits in the tower must be authorized by a Member of the Parliament or the embassy in foreign countries, to avoid unattended manomission of the mechanism.

[Dzhendobri]

What is he supposably trying to doski?

1. Why didn't he break a window closer to the hand object.

2. The mechanism is more controlable than that.

3. The mechanism would stop if jammed-up.

4. Maybe the idea of the clock dictating time (origin of), is what makes it seem that the clock is unstoppable etc.

5. The bomb looks to be unsophisticated, it the bell is already cracked - exploding may mean forge a new bell; no bad thing.

cheers.

from,

del-boy.

[darrowby1972]

Planetary gears are whats jumping up and down at 5:41

[darrowby1972]

The planetary gears would jump out of mesh with about 25kgs of weight at the end of the minute hand. Saying that, its just a film

[elliottveares]

Tre lots of things wrong with this video

1 the glass is brake proof

the mechnisem is not how it is realy

the belfrey (where the bels are) is not real for that clcok.

and filming in that clock is fobidin.

[descartes62]

It's just a film you know? It wasn't filmed in the real place, they recreated the Big Ben's machine room and I think that in the early 1900 there was no break proof glass...

[elliottveares]

what i mean is that they could of made it realisitc.but it wass along time ago.

[157657]

I think it is really good. Don't say this word.

[Victoriangent]

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaa­ssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee­e! Put on the end credits. Its really good. Schmaltzty 70's cocktail lounge music at it's best!

You gotta put it on.

[Victoriangent]

Any chance you could put on the ending credits on Descartes? I love that music. Can't quite put me finger on why I do like it so much, as I was very young when I first saw it. Guess I was traumatized by the unusually attractive Teacher Assistant, kept looking at me you know. But that was in a "Watch the bloody film, or I'll smack yer one" way. Her loss.

[MrBronson66]

This really is a poor film, especially compared to the Hitchcock version, but this scene is so brilliantly preposterous it almost makes up for it.

[Dingdongalistic]

It's really not a poor film. It has tension, good structure and brilliant music. The Hitchcock version lacks good pacing and structure, and has nowhere near the same tension to the story. This is a far superior film.

[157657]

You bet!