Directed by:
Charles CrichtonCinematography:
Douglas SlocombeComposer:
Georges AuricCast:
Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Griffith, Sidney James, Jack MacGowran, Reginald Beckwith, Edie Martin (more)Plots(1)
The railroad between Mallingford and Titfield is losing money, and British Rail decides to close it. Clergyman Sam Weech (George Relph) and Squire Gordon (John Gregson) try to save the railroad by buying it. They enlist Valentine (Stanley Holloway), the owner of Titfield's pub, promising him that, since the railroad will be private, he'll be able to keep the bar on the train open all day. They run into opposition from the owners of the rival bus line, who would like to remove the competition. Battle lines are drawn--sometimes even across couples: Joan the barmaid (Gabrielle Brune) helps them while her fiancé, steamroller driver Hawkins (Sidney James), joins the opposition. Sam and Gordon have a month to show they can run the railroad efficiently while their opponents start a campaign of sabotage. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
The inhabitants of a small town struggle to preserve a tradition threatened by something new, something they are not used to and don't quite believe in - how typically British. The satirical undertone of this comedy (poking fun at nationalization) has somewhat faded over the years, but it is still a decent enough watch, full of pleasantly biting and funny episodes and striking characters of all kinds. You can’t go wring with a duel between a locomotive and a steam roller or a drunken ride on a stolen machine.
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