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      The Titfield Thunderbolt

      1953 1h 24m Comedy List
      Reviews 79% 500+ Ratings Audience Score A transportation war erupts in a small English village when the government decides to shut down the decrepit railway line. On one side is the bus company, pleased with the prospect of having a monopoly over the town's transportation system. Their opponents are the railway enthusiasts among the villagers, who persuade the richest man in town (Stanley Holloway) to help them operate the line themselves. But runaway trains make this difficult, as does sabotage from the bus company. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member The best Ealing comedies combine charm and savagery: the satire has teeth. Without the bile they become - as here - whimsical and rather irritating. The mostly elderly parishioners of a bucolic English village are infuriated by the closure of their branch line, and decide - improbably - to buy the engine and run it themselves. Cue lots of arch jokes about vicars learning how to operate the signal box. It's nicely photographed and boring. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Just about the most charming and beautiful film ever. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review martin a A wonderful heartwarming film based on a true story. It sent a shiver down my spine. A delightful cast and a warm story where the little guys win, delightful. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Perfect sick day viewing. Mildly amusing tale of a branch line sticking it to the man in 1950s UK. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Classic British comedy - delightful!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member (75%) A fine British comedy that is English as a rainy summer day. This really is a joy to watch with its fantastic pacing, eccentric characters, and a charming fun wit running right the way through. And despite this being incredibly twee with its chocolate box village, there is a rebellious spirit that bubbles to the surface that is present in many of these great Ealing films. It must be said this isn't what I'd call the funniest film of all time, or even the funniest Ealing film, but it's just so watchable and and likeable, with the brilliant line from Stanley Holloway: "Is it a pleasant prison?" all making this a very worthy watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Titfield Thunderbolt

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      Critics Reviews

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      Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The comedy isn't nearly as biting as in other Ealing efforts from the period. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 27, 2022 Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) A funny, sometimes laugh-out-loud, warm-hearted comedy with vibrant characters, terrific plot, identifiable good and bad guys, and all the eccentricities the Brits hold dear. Nov 30, 2020 Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin The script itself is disconcertingly short on wit, and some of its invention appears forced, and Crichton's handling fails to supply the charm that could still have been the film's justification. Mar 4, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A transportation war erupts in a small English village when the government decides to shut down the decrepit railway line. On one side is the bus company, pleased with the prospect of having a monopoly over the town's transportation system. Their opponents are the railway enthusiasts among the villagers, who persuade the richest man in town (Stanley Holloway) to help them operate the line themselves. But runaway trains make this difficult, as does sabotage from the bus company.
      Director
      Charles Crichton
      Screenwriter
      T.E.B. Clarke
      Production Co
      Ealing Studios
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English (United Kingdom)
      Runtime
      1h 24m