Ride on a Runaway Train (1921)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Highly entertaining short from Educational Films was one of many movies that was lost for decades only to be discovered in a New Zealand vault in 2010. The film is pretty straight-forward as we get on a train and everything seems normal before or just like countless other pictures involving trains from this era. We see the train slowly going up and down hills, over bridges and of course there's a shot of it going by some water. Then the train goes out of control and we see some sped up excitement as the thing goes crazy. RIDE ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN isn't going to win any major awards but it's certainly a highly entertaining gem that's a rare example of a film turning up and it actually being good. I thought the film worked on several levels but the biggest is simply how fun the last portion is. The effects are obvious today but it really doesn't matter because the wild camera-work is still fun and you've also got to think that this thing must have drove people crazy back in 1921 as it really does have a good 3D feel to it and at times you really do feel as if you're on this train and going out of control. Another plus is that we're given some pretty good shots early on and especially one sequence where the camera appears to be set up outside the train and we get a terrific view of it going over a bridge. Fans of this era of filmmaking will certainly find some charm here.