Springfield, Illinois. Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west, but Marsh, a contractor, is sceptical. Abraham Lincoln looks on as their children, Davy Brandon and ... See full summary »
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Springfield, Illinois. Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west, but Marsh, a contractor, is sceptical. Abraham Lincoln looks on as their children, Davy Brandon and Miriam Marsh, play together. Brandon sets off with Davy to survey a route. They discover a new pass which will shave 200 miles off the expected distance, but they are set upon by a party of Cheyenne. One of them, a white renegade with only two fingers on his right hand, kills Brandon and scalps him. Davy buries his father... Years pass. It is 1862 and Lincoln signs the bill authorizing construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways. Marsh is principal contractor and Miriam is engaged to Jesson, the chief engineer... Crews of Chinese, Italians, and Irish work to build the railway while resisting Indian attack. When the pay train is delayed by Indian ambush, the Italians go on strike. Miriam persuades them to return to work... Marsh needs to find a shortcut through the Black Hills. To ... Written by
David Steele
This film has unforgettable scenes, like: 1)Abraham Lincoln meeting Miriam many years later, you suddenly realize that he was the man that was looking at her playing with her boyfriend many years before. 2)the cruel hunting of the buffaloes. 3) the towns that would emerge near the railroad track, with their typical characters, saloons, etc 4) the fact that the two real locomotives that actually met are brought again in the film for the scene of the meeting. However this film has been hurt by the lack of sound more than other westerns like "The Covered Wagon" and "Tumbleweeds". These two films had long scenes that required no talking, whereas a film that shows a railroad being built needs more interpretation.
11 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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This film has unforgettable scenes, like: 1)Abraham Lincoln meeting Miriam many years later, you suddenly realize that he was the man that was looking at her playing with her boyfriend many years before. 2)the cruel hunting of the buffaloes. 3) the towns that would emerge near the railroad track, with their typical characters, saloons, etc 4) the fact that the two real locomotives that actually met are brought again in the film for the scene of the meeting. However this film has been hurt by the lack of sound more than other westerns like "The Covered Wagon" and "Tumbleweeds". These two films had long scenes that required no talking, whereas a film that shows a railroad being built needs more interpretation.