The Railway Children (1970)

Director:

Lionel Jeffries

Writers:

Lionel Jeffries (screenplay)
E. Nesbit (novel)

Release Date:

18 December 1971 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Drama

Tagline:

The Railway, the Children . . . and the wonderful secret they'll share with you ! [UK]

Plot:

The film opens in a happy, comfortable upper middle-class home in Victorian London. One night the three...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Country | Railway | Missing Father | Train

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Dinah Sheridan	...	Mrs. Waterbury (as Miss Dinah Sheridan)
Bernard Cribbins	...	Albert Perks (as Mr. Bernard Cribbins)
William Mervyn	...	Old Gentleman (as Mr. William Mervyn)
Iain Cuthbertson	...	Charles Waterbury (as Mr. Iain Cuthbertson)
Jenny Agutter	...	Roberta 'Bobbie' Waterbury (as Miss Jenny Agutter)
Sally Thomsett	...	Phyllis Waterbury (as Miss Sally Thomsett)
Gary F. Warren	...	Peter Waterbury (as Master Gary Warren)
Peter Bromilow	...	Doctor Forrest
Ann Lancaster	...	Ruth
Gordon Whiting	...	Russian
Beatrix Mackey	...	Aunt Emma
Deddie Davies	...	Mrs. Nell Perks
David Lodge	...	Bandmaster
Christopher Witty	...	Jim
Brenda Cowling	...	Mrs. Hilda Viney

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Bents Farm, Oxenhope, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

EMI Film Productions

Trivia:

Both Jenny Agutter (Bobbie) and Christopher Witty (Jim) played the same roles in a 1968 BBC serial based on "The Railway Children".

Goofs:

Continuity: When the toy train blows up we see the dog running out of the house into the bushes on a clearly spring or summer's day. However, it is supposed to be at Christmas time. The next time we have an outdoor shot, it is snowing heavily.

Quotes:

Mrs. Waterbury: May I borrow your lamp please.
Cart Man: I dare say.
Mrs. Waterbury: If you say 'I dare say' once more I shall have hysterics, I dare say.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Red Dwarf: The Starbuggers - Series VI (2005) (V)

Lionel Jeffries' Greatest Achievement

I avoided this film as a boy because I thought it would be boring…no fights or shooting, cops, robbers, cowboys or Indians. It was definitely not a cool film to like. So I didn't see TRC until I was in my twenties and found it one of the most beautiful, captivating films I have seen. All the actors deliver the characterisations perfectly and each emotion is drawn from the viewer scene by scene. The filming and direction are deceptively simple but feel so natural and drew me completely into the story. My two favourite scenes are Bobbie's birthday party and the scene on the station platform near the end, directed and edited to perfection. The quality and phrasing of Jenny Agutter's voice when she calls: 'Daddy! My Daddy!' wrenches emotion from the viewer. Tears are welling in my eyes as I think of it.

This adaptation isn't just a movie it is a piece of precious art, as well as being the perfect example of what all film makers should be striving to achieve…creation of an emotional experience.