I have seen most of the posts and always enjoy seeing a train. I looked through all to see if I could find one that is missing - it was from a slapstick kind of farce shot in the 30's about an intentionally staged train wreck (sorta like a carnival event). Lots of good footage of steam locomotives and an amazing crash. Can't recall the name - anyone out there remember? Var
My favorite is "The Railway Children." I think the 1970 version is more fun, although the 2000 remake has some beautiful romantic scenes. Both have lots of excellent train shots, along with a charming story. I'd give second place to "The Station Agent."
I have some fondness for "The Phantom Express." The plot is utterly ridiculous, but it nonetheless provides an authentic view of a busy steam era roundhouse in operation and insights into the lives of railroaders around 1930. And the cheesy train wreck scenes, filmed with models, are lots of fun.
I have mixed feelings about "Emperor of the North." It has some beautiful train shots and accurate portrayals of depression era railroading. On the downside, the degree of violence is more typical of an "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon, and that's a bit hard to take.
Dagny
Dagny Taggart wrote: I have mixed feelings about "Emperor of the North." It has some beautiful train shots and accurate portrayals of depression era railroading. On the downside, the degree of violence is more typical of an "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon, and that's a bit hard to take. Dagny
de N2MPU Jack
Proud NRA Life Member and supporter of the 2nd. Amendment
God, guns, and rock and roll!
Modeling the NYC/NYNH&H in HO and CPRail/D&H in N
jackn2mpu wrote: Dagny Taggart wrote: I have mixed feelings about "Emperor of the North." It has some beautiful train shots and accurate portrayals of depression era railroading. On the downside, the degree of violence is more typical of an "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon, and that's a bit hard to take. Dagny I promised myself I wouldn't make comments about people's feelings regarding violence in movies in this thread, but I can't keep silent anymore. I've seen both subjects mentioned in this quote. Yeah, I'll admit Emperor is a bit violent, but nowheres near what's in movies nowadays. The type of violence in Emperor cannot be compared to Itchy & Scratchy - that's a cartoon! And that cartoon (which in reality is inside a cartoon itself - The Simpsons) isn't any more violent than the Warner Brothers cartoons and Popeye cartoons a lot of us here grew up with. And near as I know none of us here are axe murderers or going to shoot up our schools because of having watched them in our youths (and longer :) ).
I don't think that Dagny (great screen name BTW) was saying that people should not watch Emperor because of its graphic violence, but that she, herself, was uncomfortable with it.
As for Itchy and Scratchy, it is far more graphically violent than the old Warner Bros cartoons. I know, I've seen both many, many times. For one, the old Warner Bros cartoons never showed internal organs, gushing blood, or decapitations they way Itchy and Scratchy does. The Warner Bros (and other classic cartoons) went out of their way to make sure that cartoon violence was, well, cartoonish. Itchy and Scratchy cartoons have attempted to bring realism to cartoon violence.
In a Warners Bros cartoon, if a character got shot in the face with a shotgun, when the cloud cleared his hair was blown backward and his face was covered with black soot.
In an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, if a character gets shot in the face with a shotgun, the flesh will be ripped from his skull, and blood will gush out of his neck as his head flies off of his body.
If you can't see the difference between those two examples, you've got problems.
The difference between Itchy and Scratchy and the old Warner Bros (and MGM and others) cartoons is like the difference between Sam Peckinpah and Walt Disney.
-George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
Autobus Prime wrote:Folks:After reading this, I see I've got lots of movies to go out and find. I've wanted to see TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT for quite a while. The loco in it, "Lion", is the second-oldest operable locomotive in existence (the John Bull is a few years older).Nobody mentioned END OF THE LINE, with Wilford Brimley and Kevin Bacon, so I won't mention it either. My own favorite is definitely THE GENERAL. Keaton was a very funny man.
You can see some scenes from The Titfield Thunderbolt here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XuL2yBM0G8
Andre
I have the Titfield Express DVD at home now. I'm going to watch the train scenes the second time (except for the silly stolen-locomotive scene) before returning it to Netflix.
Mark
lvanhen wrote:Don't know the name of this one, but it was about a branch line that was about to be closed down - the town had the RR as it's major employer, so two older guys hijacked a loco & went to the RR's main headquarters (yea - we know that can't happen) the CEO had a big model rr in his office & - "they all lived happily ever after"!! I guess I'm a sucker for happy endings!! If anyone knows the name of this flick - plz let me know!
PA ERR wrote: tstage wrote: Wallace & Gromit, "The Wrong Trousers" - That contains the most realistic (and funniest) chase scene of all times. Who says old milk bottles don't serve a purpose anymore... Tom
tstage wrote: Wallace & Gromit, "The Wrong Trousers" - That contains the most realistic (and funniest) chase scene of all times. Who says old milk bottles don't serve a purpose anymore... Tom
Wallace & Gromit, "The Wrong Trousers" - That contains the most realistic (and funniest) chase scene of all times. Who says old milk bottles don't serve a purpose anymore...
Tom
Someone posted this a while back , but what the heck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH0fjTof8P4
Got penguin?
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
Thanks George, you're exactly right. I'm certainly not suggesting that anyone is going to turn into an axe murderer -- or should be deprived of his or her guns -- just because of watching Emperor of the North. In fairness, it's a story of rather harsh times, so much of the violence is integral and necessary to the plot. Beyond that, however, there's a long and literally bloody fight scene that I find a bit hard to take. And, while the movie doesn't show what ultimately happened to them, two of the characters have Wile E. Coyote experiences that that are superficially sort of funny, but likely would leave a real person dead or quadriplegic. I think that tends to spoil an otherwise excellent movie, but if that sort of thing doesn't bother you, go for it.
The reference to Itchy and Scratchy admittedly was a bit of hyperbole, but I think Matt Groening intended them to be the embodiment of over-the-top violence, so it seemed appropriate on that basis.
lvanhen wrote:Emporer of the North, Silver Streak, Breakheart Pass, and Switchback. I love ALL the Thomas flicks, and we can't forget The General with Buster Keaton!! (or was it the Great Locomotive Chase?) OMG, I almost forgot Union Pacific and that one about the Harvey Girls with Judy Garland about 20 years old!!
Emporer of the North, Silver Streak, Breakheart Pass, and Switchback. I love ALL the Thomas flicks, and we can't forget The General with Buster Keaton!! (or was it the Great Locomotive Chase?)
OMG, I almost forgot Union Pacific and that one about the Harvey Girls with Judy Garland about 20 years old!!
"The General" with Buster Keaton and Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase" with Fess Parker are both based on the same historical Civil War event. The Disney film is more true to the events, but the Buster Keaton film is much more fun.
I love so many of the films mentioned in this thread! "Emperor of the North" and "Silver Streak" are standouts. I just bought "Harvey Girls" last week. Hadn't seen it in about 30 years. I also just watched "Around the World in 80 Days" (Best Picture 1956... NOT the recent one). Some great train footage in that film as well.
Gromit is my hero. Wallace and Gromit rock! "The Wrong Trousers" is the best of the short films!
Best!
My favourite train movie has to be "Emperor of the North". There are many great railroad scenes - the train departing the yard in fog, the men discussing "Shack" in the roundhouse and the train crossing many trestles - but it is a violent movie and not one to show the children.
"The Wild Bunch" is a also favourite movie, with great railroad scenes and acting.
"Rio Grande" and "Union Pacific" are also very good, with wonderful scenery. "Breakheart Pass" is a solid movie but somewhat unrealistic with its railroad aspects; similarly with "Von Ryan's Express" where the locomotive comes out of a tunnel and round a curve, and the engineer spots a rail has been removed and then applies the brakes to stop the train in 100 yards.
Obviously, from television I have very fond memories of "Casey Jones" even though I realised at a young age that it wasn't historically realistic. My sisters loved watching "Petticoat Junction", and I was happy to sit and watch it with them.
ABaileyIAm wrote: Another movie that has some train scenes is White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. It isn't actually a train movie, so it doesn't fit the category. But it does have some integral train scenes. Are any of the train scenes real or are they all shot in the studio?
That movie was SO far off in the train department it was ridiculous. I mean, weren't they on the East Coast going north to Vermont? And what was used for RR equipment - West coast stuff that never ran in the East? Most but not all train interior stuff in movies is shot on a set.