\nThe Flying Scotsman. Power, majesty and beauty.<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n
So it’s little wonder that my burgeoning movie collection contains no less than 29 films where the train is mostly the star:<\/p>\n
\nTrain movies.<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n
There are probably more, which I may have missed, but this is a decent start. The other day my son and I watched the latest ‘Mission Impossible” offering, part VII, and on our 123″ screen with a killer sound system it was a thrilling experience. Forget plot and dialog, the stunts and special effects were the best we have seen, with the last 40 minutes or so showcasing a thrilling train disaster. <\/p>\n
Yet …. all the technology apart, this is far from the best train movie made as none compares with Buster Keaton’s ‘The General’ made in …. 1926. You not only disregard the script – there is none in this silent movie which makes it better than the asinine one in MI Part VII – it’s not widescreen this and seven channel that, but the strength of the story line, the timing of Keaton’s acting and the sheer hilarity of some of the set pieces beats anything made since.<\/p>\n
\nBuster Keaton sacrifies a perfectly good <\/i>real train.<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n
So encomiums to Mr. Cruise for his death defying stunts but if you want to see the real thing, go no further than The General<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A wonderful genre. As a kid I well remember taking the Flying Scotsman from London to Dundee to both visit my sister, then a student at St. Andrew’s, and to pick up her gift of a Scottish Terrier. This was in 1960 and the trip inculcated in me a love of all things Scottish – … Continue reading Train movies<\/span>