The Railrodder (1965)

After literally walking to Canada from England, Buster takes a cross-country trip across Canada on a railcar.

Director:

Gerald Potterton

Writer:

Gerald Potterton

Stars:

Buster Keaton

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	The Man

Storyline

After reading an newspaper advertisement in the London Times about touring Canada, an elderly Englishman decides to do just that. Following his long walk across the Atlantic Ocean, Keaton travels along the Canadian National Railway tracks in a motorized cart, performing a few stunts reminiscent of those in his younger days.

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Plot Keywords:

canada | railway | travel | cross country | slapstick | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

Canada

Release Date:

2 October 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Railroader

Filming Locations:

Rivers, Manitoba, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Buster Keaton's final directorial project.

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Connections

Edited into 50 ans (1989)

User Reviews

Ode to Canada

The film that I was really reminded of here turned out to have been Powell and Pressburger's "49th Parallel" -- a slice through almost exactly the same set of coast-to-coast scenery. I had no idea I could recognise Canada subconsciously like that...

"The Railrodder" is an amiable and slightly surreal travelogue, which bears a resemblance at times to a live-action version of the adventures of the Road Runner or other cartoon antics: e.g. a massive freight train vanishes into one end of a tunnel, a small railcar enters the other, and the sound of an almighty smash-up is heard from within... to unexpected result! However, despite this and the featuring of a dialogue-free Buster Keaton in the principal role (one he must surely have relished, given the emphasis on his beloved trains) it isn't really a comedy as such, but more of an off-beat ode to the Canadian landscape. There are at least two laugh-out-loud gags to treasure, though: the very typical Keaton-solution to rain in one's teacup, and the arrival of an equally intrepid voyager from the Pacific coast.

An odd little light-weight piece, on the whole amusing.