The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) - An ambitious yet simple and significant piece of British Cinema

Ealing Studios are a house-hold name in the world of British Cinema, and have been involved in some of the most innovative and popular productions through the golden age of cinema. And one of their most innovative productions was 1953’s The Titfield Thunderbolt, which was the first of their productions to be shot in colour, paving the way for colour film to reach production companies across the UK in the following years.

Reflecting on the film 66 years after it’s release, it’s still a charming piece, with a story that drives home a strong sense of will-power. The villagers in this film face all manner of challenges as they try to preserve their local railway line. Being released just before British Railways started to modernise, it’s clear why this film holds a special place in the hearts of many railway fanatics and historians. Much of what the film says and shows has indeed come to pass since this film’s release. Characters such as Gordon (John Gregson) argue about how the removal of access to rural locations by rail will result in more traffic lights and zebra crossings. Even starting “our houses will have numbers instead of names.” And while the film was more than likely not meant to predict the future, it’s incredible how accurate some of these simple lines of dialogue were.

Some could easily write this film off as only being appealing to those interested in railways, but the film offers more than just men talking about trains, there’s plenty of Ealing’s dry yet witty humour and charming characters such as the perfectly cast Stanley Holloway as the local drunk millionaire, Mr Valentine and Hugh Griffith’s shrill-voiced Dan. Both men steal their respective scenes, and getting to see the two interact more during the third act is always a pleasure to watch.

And the production team deliver on some entertaining and ambitious set pieces, including a very iconic jousting scene between a steam engine and it’s road-roller equivalent. Even those with no interest in railways, can’t help but smile at such a comical sight. Sadly thou, these ambitious set pieces were clearly too ambitious for the team back then. Many scenes where actors are on green/blue screen stages are more obvious due to the film being in colour, and the compositing being more obvious due to the film’s age.

The model work during the derailment also doesn’t blend well with the real life steam engine. The way the model is thrown across the screen without any smoke looks more toy like. Had the movements been less vigorous and played back at a slower film rate, the model would’ve been able to demonstrate the weight and size of the real life engine. But despite these nitpicks, it’s important to not only remember the film’s age, but also the ambitious achievements that came as a result of this film. Ealing took risks shooting this film in colour, and despite it exposing flaws in some of their special effects, this encouraged the team at Ealing to truly push themselves to make the films even better. It’s thanks to director, Charles Crichton and the crew that colour film was able to become popular so quickly, but also movie effects could continue to prosper and become even more eye popping.

And even with these technological developments, Titfield never lets the actors and plot fall into the background. It’s the drama, humour and characters that keep viewers coming back, thanks to the use of classic British humour and the ensamble cast all bouncing off one another nicely. And while the film is definitely a product of it’s time, it’s a time that many people will find welcoming and pleasant to watch. As Ealing’s first colour film, Titifield Thunderbolt still holds up reasonably well as a heart-warming and inspiring film, which also remains a solid reminder of how important colour is to a film’s style and look. Black and white film is just as important now as when it first came about. But thanks to the introduction of colour, film continues to develop and become more expansive over time.

SCORES

Story - 4/5

Characters - 4/5

Production - 3/5

Acting - 5/5

Music - 4/5

Overall - 8/10