Train of Events

[RailGooner]

Sunday at 7.10pm on Talking Pictures TV
Virgin 445, Freesat 306, Freeview/Youview 81, Sky 328

Ealing Studios present

Train of Events (1949)

Starring: Valerie Hobson, Jack Warner, John Clements, Irena Baronova, Susan Shaw, Peter Finch

A train disaster is told as four short stories to give character studies of the people involved, how it will affect them and how they deal with it.

[spoiler]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041982/

Compendium films such as these were very popular in the late forties. Naturally their success rides and falls on the quality of the story. Alas in this case only one of the stories is worth telling. The Valerie Hobson/John Clements story is truly awful. Jack Warner's domestic problems seem more like an episode of the Huggetts. The ex German POW story has some promise but becomes repetitive. The Peter Finch/Mary Morris story is quite good but is undermined by the somewhat ridiculous proposition that a murderer would cart the dead body of his wife around in a theatrical basket. The fact that there is a good cast, and a strong band of writers and directors make it all the more disappointing. The most interesting aspect of the film is the considerable location work, which includes a view of the late lamented Euston arch.

[/spoiler]

[daffy]

Thanks. Setting the recorder now.

[RailGooner]

What did you think of it Mike?



@daffy

[daffy]

I'm only part way through as I recorded it then fell asleep when I was watching it.

Thats not a reflection of the film by the way, but of the virus I have at the moment.

Anyway, I enjoyed seeing so much steam train activity at the beginning. Very nostalgic footage of the post-war days of steam, and far more than you'd expect for a drama film.

I'll get around to watching the whole of it sometime over the next few days.

[RailGooner]

I'm only part way through as I recorded it then fell asleep when I was watching it.

Thats not a reflection of the film by the way
...

I was quite impressed by the amount of train-on-track action.

Hope you get well soon.