Iron Road (2008– )

A poor but feisty Chinese woman, disguised as a boy, joins the railroad crew in the Rocky Mountains to search for her long-lost father, and falls in love with the son of the railroad tycoon.

Stars:

Betty Sun, Luke Macfarlane, Sam Neill

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Betty Sun	...	Little Tiger (2 episodes, 2009)
Luke Macfarlane	...	James Nichol (2 episodes, 2009)
Sam Neill	...	Alfred Nichol (2 episodes, 2009)
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Bookman (2 episodes, 2009)
Kenneth Mitchell	...	Edgar (2 episodes, 2009)
Peter O'Toole	...	Relic (2 episodes, 2009)
Ian Tracey	...	Controller (2 episodes, 2009)
Gao Yun Xiang	...	Wang Ma (2 episodes, 2009)
Serge Houde	...	George Grant (2 episodes, 2009)
Charlotte Sullivan	...	Melanie Grant (2 episodes, 2009)
Zhang Nai Hua	...	Di Hong (2 episodes, 2009)
Ningyu Zhao	...	Lei Mo (2 episodes, 2009)
Jiang Boning	...	Powder (2 episodes, 2009)
Lisa Bunting	...	Kathryn Nichol (2 episodes, 2009)
Jeffrey Fisher	...	Foreman (2 episodes, 2009)
Charmaine Grey	...	Frances Grant (2 episodes, 2009)
Barry Pearson	...	Yale Doctor (2 episodes, 2009)

Storyline

In 1882, Alfred Nichol, owner of the Nichol Railway Company, is building a railroad through the Canadian Rockies. He sends his irresponsible playboy son, James Nichol, to Hong Kong to check on the company's recruitment of Chinese laborers to work on the railroad's construction. One of the laborers James brings back is a orphan boy named Little Tiger. Unknown to James, Little Tiger is actually a young woman, who is masquerading as a boy to eke out a better living for herself. She is desperate to make it to Canada to find her missing father. Professionally, Little Tiger is tasked with being a tea boy to the other laborers on the construction crew, although she really wants to work on the more lucrative explosives team as, working at a firecracker factory in Hong Kong, she learned the finer details of explosives from a master. She also learns of some improprieties within the construction camp. Personally, Little Tiger falls in love with James, an unforbidden love even if she exposes her ...

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Plot Keywords:

railroad | period piece | girl disguised as boy | tv mini series | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

The search for her past became part of a nation's future

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada China

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Droga zelazna

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Iron Road Productions, Mainland Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min (theatrical)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Pierre Berton spins in his grave

If there was any doubt about the CBC's tragic decline into meaninglessness, this ghastly farce of a movie puts it to rest. To begin, it's obviously a cynical ploy to craft a vehicle that can be sold to Asian TV. The plot, such as it is, is absurd. The employment of Hollywood stars such as Sam Neil and Peter O'Toole is an insulting vote of non confidence in Canadian actors. Errors are rampant. There were no self-igniting wooden matches in the period depicted. Proper usage for Canada and for the era is RAILWAY and not RAILROAD. Blasting at the time was done with nitro glycerine, not powder. CBC distinguished itself and Canada several years ago with its TV adaptation of Pierre Berton's "The National Dream." Why would it want to eradicate the high standard it set then with this absurd third rate pastiche of sex and kung fu.