When I was trying to work out what word describes The Railway Children, the only one that I could think of was ‘quintessential’ and I’m not sure I’ve ever used that word before in my life! This Monday, 3rd May sees the release of Lionel Jeffries classic (based on the book by E. Nesbit) 1970 movie about 3 children (Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett, Gary Warren) who’s lives are changed when they are forced to move from London to Yorkshire with their mother (Dinah Sheridan) after their father (Iain Cuthbertson) is taken away mysteriously by the police.
After their initial upset of moving, the three kids realise that their fortune is not sp bad, especially when making friends with a local railway station porter (Bernard Cribbins) and discovering a new love of trains and the love of people (mainly ‘the Old Gentleman played by William Mervyn) on trains who pass them on the local railway which travelled from London to Scotland.
The movie is set in 1904 and Jeffries has to find the perfect place to shoot the movie. He was in need of a railway that had the perfect tunnel that could be used for much of the film. Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and its station at Oakworth were used as the main locations in the fim and to this day, people flock to the area to see where the movie was made. The Railway Children is much more than a book or film, it’s become a classic tale of 3 wonderful children who’s adventures are catalogued in the most spectacular ways. It’s so strange but refreshing to see what children used to be like back in the early 19th Century and I think Jeffries film does that perfectly – not that I have any basis to reference it!
The Blu Ray has a great featurette called Now and Then: A Retrospective Documentary on The Railway Children and also includes current day interviews with Jenny Agutter (Roberta), Bernard Crimmins (Perks), Sally Thomsett (Phyllis) and Jacqueline Wilson (children’s author) where they look back at their memories of the shoot, how they found filming and if they realised how big this movie would become. The funniest thing in the interviews is where Thomsett (who was 20 at the time) plays an 11 year old. She was actually older than her eldest sister was supposed to be in the movie. During filming, she wasn’t allowed to reveal her real age and in the interview she talks about how they snuck out of the hotel to go out on the town in Leeds and got caught by the director and producer!
Everything about The Railway Children is just fantastic and I can’t recommend it highly enough. The conversion to Blu Ray is excellent with the summer Yorkshire grass and the trains on the railway both vibrant and colourful. It’s definitely the way which it needs to be watched.
It’s released on DVD & Blu Ray this Monday, 3rd May and you can purchase it here. Keep your eyes peeled for our competition to win a copy of the blu ray coming soon.
GREETINGS AND FAITHFUL SAYINGS:
Greetings to one and all: In that most precious name. That name which is above every name, the name: “Jesus” ____There's tremendous power in that name. I'd suppose we'll never fully realize all that can truly be accomplished, by us simply calling out that name in true faith.____There's an old, old, gospel song that goes like this: Faith in the Father, faith in the Son, faith in the Holy Spirit, great victories are won. Demons will tremble and
sinners will awake, faith in Jehovah will anything shake.____For you who have never come into this realization, if you're reading this, just give him a welcome into your heart and life. You will both feel and see an awesome difference. You will have also purchased the ticket to heaven (by accepting), therefore making him welcome to come into your life. You will also sup from His cup that contains living water. (As did the woman at the well of Bethesda.) John 4:10____Much love, ____Your brother in Christ Jesus, who is both our Lord, and Savior.____www.eloquentbooks.com/BeyondTheGoldenSunsetAndByT… “http://www.eloquentbooks.com/OffToVisitTheProphetElijah____” …
Received my BluRay and DVD versions today – fabulous transfers of a true masterpiece. Interesting interview with the eternally lovely Jenny!
Received my BluRay and DVD versions today – fabulous transfers of a true masterpiece. Interesting interview with the eternally lovely Jenny!
This clearly inexperienced reviewer needs to improve on his facts, spelling, copying ability, use of the apostrophe and English syntax. Nevertheless, I share his enthusiasm though have resisted graduating to Blu Ray, which seems to be a passing fad on the way to HD, 3-d and who knows what next. There seems no point spending more when fashions change so frequently, with the latest craze becoming obsolete overnight! My good old-fashioned dvd copy from a good old-fashioned HMV reality shop had a glitch about four fifths of the way through which caused it to keep switching back to the beginning. Also, the extra feature on the history of the Old Gentleman’s Carriage mysteriously auto-deleted after a single viewing, so this was not such a bargain at £7! Why doesn’t our reviewer include with the three others mention of the equally fascinating interview with Bernard Cribbins, or didn’t that make it to good new-fangled Blu Ray?
The Railway Children is much more than a book or film.