Spirit of America Bookstore
Railroad Film Festival
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on the American Railroads Page: Railroad Links Railroad Museums Class I Railroads
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Books on Railroad Movies
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"Parallel Tracks: The Railroad & Silent Cinema" [1997] by Lynne Kirby Duke Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [6/97] for $23.95 Duke Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [12/97] for $84.95 |
Railroad Movies
browse DVDs about trains at Amazon.com
"Bad Day At Black Rock"
[M.G.M. Jan 1955]
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After World War II, a one-armed man arrives at a whistle-stop town; he is shunned and his life is endangered as the townspeople protect their dark secrets.
Directed by John Sturges; starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine & Lee Marvin; Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor (Tracy)
Warner widescreen color DVD [5/2005] for $14.99 Turner Home Video color VHS [8/96] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Bridge On The River Kwai"
[Columbia Dec 1957]
"Brief Encounter" [1945]: full credits at IMDb
"Closely Watched Trains"
aka "Ostre Sledované Vlaky" [CZ Nov 1966, USA Oct 1967]
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A bumbling youth employed at a village railway station in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia fantasizes sexual conquests and brave exploits of war resistance, which eventually collide with real life.
Co-written & directed by Jirí Menzel; co-written by Bohumil Hrabal from his novel; starring Vaclav Neckar, Josef Somr, Jitka Zelenohorska, Vlastimil Brodsky & Jitka Bendová; won Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (10/2005)
Criterion subtitled b&w DVD [9/2001] for $26.99 Homevision b&w VHS [7/2000] out of prodn/used Fox Lorber b&w VHS [11/97] out of prodn/used 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Denver and Rio Grande"
[Paramount May 1952]
Directed by Byron Haskin; starring Edmond O'Brien, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, Kasey Rogers,
Lyle Bettger, J. Carrol Naish, Zasu Pitts & Paul Fix; full credits at IMDb
"The General" [B.K.P./United Artists 1927]
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"one of the best five silent films ever made" per A.F.I.; listed on National Film Registry 1989 Co-written & co-directed by & starring Buster Keaton [1895-1966] Kino Video b&w VHS [11/2001] for $19.95 Image Ent. b&w DVD [10/99] for $26.99 video & DVD above also contain "The Playhouse" & "Cops" shorts Jef Films b&w VHS [5/98] for $19.99 full credits from IMDb |
"The Great K & A Train Robbery"
[Fox silent Oct 1926]
 | A railroad owner hires a cowboy to work undercover to unmask the gang robbing the trains.
Produced & directed by Lewis Seiler; based on Paul Leicester Ford's 1897 novel; starring Tom Mix, Dorothy Dwan, Will Walling, Harry Gripp, Carl Miller, Edward Peil Sr., Curtis 'Snowball' McHenry & Tony the Horse video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb |
"The Great Locomotive Chase"
[Disney 1952]:
full credits at IMDb
"The Great Train Robbery"
[Edison Mfg. Dec 1903]
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The first movie with a plotted storyline was a Western!
Co-written & directed by Edwin S. Porter; starring Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson; made in 1903, listed in National Film Registry 1990 V.C.I. 100th Anniversary b&w DVD [12/2003] for $17.99 includes "Tumbleweeds" [1925 silent] with Wm. S. Hart; "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" [1913 silent] by D.W. Griffith [1875-1948]; "The Heart of Texas Ryan" [1917 silent] with Tom Mix, plus extras "Great Train Robbery" credits from IMDb |
"The Great Train Robbery"
[U.K. 1979]:
full credits at IMDb
"The Grey Fox" [1982]: full credits at IMDb
"The Iron Horse" [Fox Aug 1924 silent]
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When President Lincoln signs authorization to build a transcontinantal railroad, the chief contractor of one section and his daughter are helped by a childhood friend now riding for the Pony Express.
Directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; starring George O'Brien, Madge Bellamy, Charles Edward Bull {as Abe Lincoln}, Cyril Chadwick, Will Walling, George Waggner, Gladys Hulette & Fred Kohler
Fox b&w silent DVD [12/2007] 2 disks for $17.99 
full credits from IMDb |
"Le Train" [1973]: full credits at IMDb
"Murder On The Orient Express"
[E.M.I./Paramount Nov 1974]
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11"x17" movie poster available at AllPosters.com
The Orient Express is blocked by a snow storm, and detective Hercule Poirot is asked to solve the murder of a passenger. Directed by Sidney Lumet; based on the Agatha Christie novel; starring Albert Finney {as Poirot}, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark & Michael York; won Best Supporting Actress Oscar [IB], nominated for Best Script Adaptation, Best Actor [AF], Best Cinerma- tography, Best Music, Best Costumes; won BAFTAs for Best Supporting Actor & Actress [JG & IB], nominated for 7 others including Best Film; won W.G.G.B. Award for Best Script Paramount widescreen color DVD [7/2004] for $9.98 Paramount color VHS [2/98] 2 tapes / out of prodn/used D.R.G. soundtrack CD [1/2003] for $9.98 full credits at IMDb |
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based on the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie [1890-1976] Berkley mass pb [8/2004] for $6.99 Black Dog & Leventhal 8½x5¾ hardcover [9/2006] for $9.60 |
"The Narrow Margin"
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R.K.O. b&w feature film [May 1952] {French title "L’énigme du Chicago Express"} A cynical cop escorts the tough-as-nails wife of a mobster from Chicago to Los Angeles by train for her testimony before a grand jury. Directed by Richard Fleischer; script by Martin M. Goldsmith, Earl Felton & Jack Leonard; starring Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Gordon Gebert, Jacqueline White, Queenie Leonard, David Clarke, Peter Virgo, Don Beddoe, Paul Maxey & Harry Harvey; Oscar nomination for Best Script Turner b&w DVD [7/2005] for $17.99 Turner b&w VHS [4/91] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
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Carolco color remake of Sept 1990
A witness to a killing by a top Mafia boss goes into hiding; first the authorities find her, then the mob tries to rub her out. A deputy district attorney escorts her by train across Canada, with the bad guys hot on their heels. Adapted & directed by Peter Hyams; starring Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James B. Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh, Susan Hogan, Nigel Bennett, J.A. Preston & Harris Yulin Lions Gate widescreen color DVD [11/98] for $12.99 Live/Artisan color VHS [12/93] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb |
"Nevada City" [1941]
Starring Roy Rogers & George 'Gabby' Hayes;
full credits at IMDb
"The Polar Express" animated feature
[Castle Rock/Warner Nov 2004]
A boy travels to the North Pole on the Polar Express and is chosen to receive the first gift of
Christmas. He asks for a silver bell from Santa's reindeer, but on the way home the bell is lost
through a hole in the pocket of his robe...
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Co-written & directed by Robert Zemeckis; based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg; several voices by Tom Hanks; nominated for 3 minor Oscars
Warner widescreen DVD [11/2005] 2 disks for $19.98 Warner widescreen DVD [11/2005] 1 disk for $11.99 Warner color VHS [11/2005] for $19.54 WEA/Reprise soundtrack CD [11/2004] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb official movie site |
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"The Polar Express" book [1985] by Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin gift set: book + CD + tape [9/2004] for $16.50 Houghton Mifflin 9½x11½ YA hardcover [10/85] for $12.89 |
"The Railroad Man"
aka "Il Ferroviere" [Italy Aug 1956; USA Oct 1965]
![Railroad Man [Italy]](covers/dRailroadManPG.jpg) |
After an accident on the railroad, the engineer [engine driver]'s family life falls apart, and his friends reject him when he becomes a scab during a railroad strike.
Produced by Carlo Ponti; co-written & directed by and starring Pietro Germi; co-starring Luisa Della Noce, Sylva Koscina, Saro Urzì, Carlo Giuffrè, Renato Speziali & Edoardo Nevola
NoShame Films subtitled b&w DVD [6/2005] 2 disks for $26.99 full credits at IMDb |
"The Railroad Raiders"
silent serial [Signal/Mutual 1917]
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Directed by J.P. McGowan; starring Helen Holmes, Thomas G. Lingham, Leo D. Maloney, Paul Hurst & William Brunton
video/DVD not available;
full credits at IMDb
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"The Railrodder" aka 'The Railroader'
[25-minute National Film Board of Canada short 1965]
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Starring Buster Keaton [1895-1966]
full credits from IMDb plus 'Buster Keaton Rides Again' [docu 1965] (55-minute NFBC documentary on the making of 'The Railrodder') full credits from IMDb (both) Image Ent DVD [2/2001] for $22.49 (both) Kino Video VHS [11/96] for $29.95 |
"The Railway Children"
The father of a family in Victorian London is taken away by two strangers; the wife & three children
fall on hard times and move to a country cottage beside a railway. The kids' faith and vigilance and
courage prevent an accident on the railway, leading to solution of the mystery of their missing father.
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M.G.M.-E.M.I. feature film [U.K. Dec 1970; USA Oct 1971]
Adapted & directed by Lionel Jeffries, from the E. Nesbit novel; starring Jenny Agutter, Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Iain Cuthbertson, Sally Thomsett, Beatrix Mackey & Gary F. Warren Anchor Bay widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $17.99 full credits at IMDb |
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Masterpiece Theater tv movie [Carlton TV/P.B.S.; U.K. April 2000, USA Nov 2000] Directed by Catherine Morshead; starring Jenny Agutter, Jack Blumenau, Clare Thomas, Jemima Rooper, Michael Kitchen, Georgie Glen, Clive Russell & Richard Attenborough P.B.S./WGBH letterbox color DVD [10/2002] for $17.99 P.B.S./WGBH color VHS [3/2001] for $18.95 full credits at IMDb |
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magazine serial 1905; novel 1906 by Edith Nesbit [1858-1924]
Puffin 7¾x5 pb [11/94] for $3.99 Dover 8¼x5¼ pb [5/2000] for $4.49 Pearson 8x4¾ pb [2/2000] for $8.67 SeaStar 9¼x6½ hardcover [7/2005] for $9.72 Everyman's Library 8¼x6½ hardcover [5/93] for $10.46 Edith Nesbit entry at Wikipedia; Edith Nesbit credits list at IMDb official booksite |
"Terror By Night" [Universal Feb 1946]
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The owner of a fabulous diamond hires Sherlock Holmes to protect the gem during transport by train from London to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Co-produced & directed by Roy William Neill; starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey, Frederick Worlock, Mary Forbes, Skelton Knaggs, Billy Bevan & Geoffrey Steele
Focus Films b&w DVD [2/2001] for $14.95 M.P.I. Home Video b&w DVD [1/2004] for $17.99 Hollywood Movie Classics b&w VHS [1/85] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 |
"This Gun For Hire" [Paramount May 1942]
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A kindly hitman is paid off in 'hot' money, and flees on a train, where he meets the undercover girlfriend of his cop pursuer.
Directed by Frank Tuttle; script by Albert Maltz &
W.R. Burnett from Graham Greene's 1936 novel; starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Tully Marshall, Roger Imhof & Frank Ferguson
Universal b&w DVD [7/2004] for $12.99 Universal b&w VHS [10/95] out of prodn/many used credits from IMDb blonde 11"x17" poster {above} available at AllPosters.com
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"The Titfield Thunderbolt"
[Ealing/Universal 1953]
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When the government decides to close the local railway branch, residents rally and take over operation of the line; but the competing bus company decides to use ruthless tactics to prevent their success.
Directed by Charles Crichton; starring Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson & Hugh Griffith
DVD available only as part of The Ealing Comedy Collection 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train"
aka "Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train"
[France May 1998; U.S.A. August 1999]
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A Paris painter asks that his remains be buried in Limoges. The body is transported by car while a group of mourners travel by train.
Co-written & directed by Patrice Chéreau; starring Pascal Greggory, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Charles Berling, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bruno Todeschini, Sylvain Jacques, Vincent Perez, Roschdy Zem, Dominique Blanc, Delphine Schiltz, Nathan Kogen, Marie Daëms, Chantal Neuwirth, Thierry de Peretti, Olivier Gourmet, Geneviève Brunet & Didier Brice; won César Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress (Blanc), nominated for Best Film, Best Writing, Best Actor (PG), Best Supporting Actors (VP & JLT), Best Production Design, Best Editing & Best Sound
Kino Video widescreen color DVD [4/20000] for $26.99 Kino Video letterboxed color VHS [12/2000] for $23.70 full credits from IMDb |
"The Train" [1964]: full credits at IMDb
"Twentieth Century"
[Columbia Pictures May 1934]
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The actress protege of a Broadway director decamps for Hollywood; her career soars and his fades. When he meets her on the train to the West Coast, he tries to persuade her to return to the stage.
Co-produced & directed by Howard Hawks; script by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur, based on their Broadway play; starring John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Ralph Forbes, Charles Lane, Etienne Girardot & Edgar Kennedy
Sony b&w DVD [2/2005] for $12.99 Sony b&w VHS [6/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • credits on Broadway |
"Union Pacific" [1939]
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille; starring Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck & Robert Preston
full credits at IMDb
"Von Ryan's Express" [1965]: full credits at IMDb
"Whispering Smith" [Paramount Dec 1948]
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A railroad detective's friend is fired, and joins a gang of train robbers; Smith is assigned to bring the man to justice, and matters are complicated by a mutual attraction with the man's wife.
Directed by Leslie Fenton; based on the Spearman novel; starring Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demarest, Fay Holden, Murvyn Vye, Frank Faylen, John Eldredge, Ward Wood, J. Farrell MacDonald, Will Wright, Don Barclay, Eddy Waller, Ray Teal & Bob Kortman; WGA nomination for Best Western Script; filmed at the Sierra RR 1948 feature: Universal color DVD [6/2004] for $12.99 1948 feature: full credits at IMDb 1948 feature 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $15.81 1916 silent feature: full credits at IMDb 1926 silent feature starring H.B. Warner: full credits at IMDb 1961 TV series starring Audie Murphy: full credits at IMDb |
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"Whispering Smith" [1906 novel] by Frank H. Spearman [1859-1937], illustrated by N.C. Wyeth Renegade railroad employees are wrecking and robbing the trains running thru the rugged Rocky Mountains, so the railroad sends in their best detective. Kessinger Publng pb [3/2005] for $28.08 Forge mass pb [9/99] out of print/used Buccaneer Books 9x5¾ hardcover [6/95] out of print/used |
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"Whispering Smith: His Life & Misadventures" [2007]  by Allen P. Bristow Western author Bristow covers the legend, the conflicting facts, and the Hollywood versions of real-life railroad detective James L. 'Whispering' Smith [18??-1914]. Sunstone Press 9x6 pb [7/2007] for $16.47 publisher book page article at Legends of America |
Visit Our Other Online Film Festival Pages
Ayn Rand Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Existentialist Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Films Noir Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Human Rights Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Oscar-Winning Western Movies Page at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'
Philosophy Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Pirate Film Festival
Political Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Samurai Films at Magic Lantern
Shakespeare On Film at Magic Lantern
War [& Anti-War] Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Western Movies Film Festival at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'
... and others on the Online Film Festivals Index Page
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