IMDb > The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)

The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   800 votes
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Director:
Charles Crichton
Writer:
T.E.B. Clarke (original screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Titfield Thunderbolt on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 October 1953 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Tagline:
Full steam ahead for this comedy classic! more
Plot:
Comedy of railfans who take over their village's passenger train service (against bus company resistance) when British Rail abandons it. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
No longer lost in the mists of times-gone-bye! more (33 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Stanley Holloway ... Walter Valentine
George Relph ... Vicar Sam Weech
Naunton Wayne ... George Blakeworth
John Gregson ... Squire Gordon Chesterford
Godfrey Tearle ... Ollie Matthews, Bishop of Welchester
Hugh Griffith ... Dan Taylor
Gabrielle Brune ... Joan Hampton
Sid James ... Harry Hawkins (as Sidney James)
Reginald Beckwith ... Coggett
Edie Martin ... Emily
Michael Trubshawe ... Ruddock
Jack MacGowran ... Vernon Crump (as Jack McGowran)
Ewan Roberts ... Alec Pearce
Herbert C. Walton ... Seth
John Rudling ... Clegg - Inspector from Ministry
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
84 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System) | Mono (Gaumont Kalee Recording)
Certification:
Australia:G (TV rating) | UK:U | Iceland:L | UK:U (video rating) | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Bristol Temple Meads station, Bristol, England, UK more
Company:
Michael Balcon Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The final scenes of Mallingford station were filmed at the Bath Road Bridge end of the main platform at Bristol Temple Meads station, Bristol, UK. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Dan and Mr Valentine steal the locomotive standing on the turntable to run it away down the streets, the tracks covered over with grass are visible. more
Quotes:
Sam Weech: They can't close our line, it's unthinkable
Gordon: What about the old Canterbury-Whitstable line? They closed that.
Sam Weech: Perhaps there were not men of sufficient faith in Canterbury.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in "Best of British: Ealing Comedies (#5.12)" (1993) more
Soundtrack:
The Eton Boating Song more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
No longer lost in the mists of times-gone-bye!, 30 April 2003
Author: Greg Couture from Portland, Oregon

I remember seeing this many years ago on a TV broadcast and was delighted with that inimitable brand of English wit that transported me to a countryside and a wonderful group of people who were so uniquely British and so utterly fascinating to a young American who was (and is) unendingly interested in what else there is in the world beyond the borders of the continental U.S.A. Now at last viewers in the U.S. can obtain this film as part of a DVD collection, amidst a few other British comedy classics, redeeming its from its long neglect in the vaults.

Reading the other comments that have been posted by those who reside in Great Britain, it's distressing to read that the depredations of the big money men laid waste traditions and conveniences that at one time so enhanced daily life there. You probably know about the parallels here where vast networks of rail communications and transport, including many minimally polluting streetcar lines in many U.S. cities were intentionally destroyed by those whose motive was short-term profit and the enrichment of the Detroit automakers and their nefarious bedfellows, the oil company executives, who even today are assisting in embroiling both of our nations in horrendously costly and destructive conflicts (notwithstanding that there may, indeed, be some reasons for protecting ourselves against the mounting threats of technologically-assisted terror.)

One thing I do recall about this film was the incredibly beautiful use of "Colour by Technicolor." Hollywood cinematographers, at their best, rarely matched what their English counterparts often achieved. (Was there something about the addition of the letter "u" in that first word?) I've seen many others of the most famous Ealing comedies and every one of them was an entertainment experience that I savored then and to which I often return on those preciously available VHS tapes in my library (which can be slipped into my non-PAL format equipment). Cheers! and Thanksalot!

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