Feb 21: Paddington (2014) dir. Paul King

There's a lot of geography in the first Paddington movie: from the earthquake near the start, the geographer: Montgomery Clyde who stays with the bears before returning to London, the focus on immigration and the welcome that new arrivals get in the big city, and the collections of the Natural History Museum.

The bear himself is named after a railway station, and if you go there in real life you'll see a statue of the bear if you can find it.

Geographers are friendly folks. 

In the first 'Paddington' movie, which was released in 2014, there is a strong geographical element running through the movie, which starts with a geographical expedition with Montgomery Clyde encountering Paddington and his Aunt and Uncle. 

Darkest Peru. A vast, unexplored wilderness shrouded in mystery. Until now! For I have been charged by my fellow geographers to leave the comforts of home and family and set off upon a voyage of discovery. I travel light, carrying only the absolute essentials. Maps, rations, modest timepiece and travel piano. And finally, deep in the undergrowth, I spot something extraordinary. An undiscovered species of bear. Time to collect a specimen for the museum.

In the Paddington movie, there is also a Geographer's Guild. The scenes in the movie were actually filmed at the Reform Club on Pall Mall.
I was reading James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti's book on London: 'The Information Capital' and it has a mention of the film.

It seems that some people believe there is a Guild building... at the Royal Geographical Society, according to Steve Brace. Some visitors are disappointed not to see the ornate and complex system of pneumatic messaging tubes which Paddington interferes with.

Geographers are friendly folks, we would never turn our backs on a bear in need...

I was reminded of Paddington, because of some work I am currently doing with Year 7 around the arrival of another migrant: Leonard, the protagonist of Benjamin Zephaniah's 'Windrush Child'.

There is a piece of music used in the film when Paddington arrives in London which was also popular in the 1950s and recorded by Lord Kitchener.

Paddington's image has also been appopriated for a famous piece of graffiti around migration.

Films I watched today:

Carry on Columbus (1992) dir. Gerald Thomas

A rare TVshowing for the final 'Carry On' film, although there were few of the regulars from the earlier films - although just about anybody who was working at the time gets a cameo. The cropped presentation with strange colours was a suitable way to watch a woeful film with weak jokes, terrible storyline and very few moments that will be remembered in a good way. My son checked the Letterboxd reviews and there were lots of one stars.

Here's an article on the filming.