Train of Events

This is a not very widely known portmanteau film from 1949, in which four disparate stories are told, each culminating in the protagonists boarding a train to Liverpool, their stories becoming ever more enmeshed, only this train is headed for disaster.

I largely agree with Robert Temple's review (although there are spoilers and it is John Clements who plays the composer, not Gregson).

In contrast to many of the other reviews I found something rather good in all four stories, be it drama, witty dialogue, or humour. I thought it was all rather well done actually. For me, the standout performance was probably that of Peter Finch, who looked gaunt and utterly riven throughout.

In addition to the intriguing structure of the film -which has surely acted as an example to later directors- this film has interest today because it shows many street scenes in London and various scenes shot on the railways; who would have thought the age of steam would be over about fifteen years after this?

Anyway whilst some of the facets of this film will be lost on some folk, overall I thought it a pretty good effort, deserving to be better known and more widely appreciated than it is. Eight out of ten from me.

Although Jack Warner's domestic woes - or, more precisely, those of his daughter's boyfriend - keep getting in the way of far more meaty tales of murder, infidelity and post-war poverty this portmanteau movie from Ealing remains engaging throughout. A young Peter Finch receives his first screen credit as a murderer in the film's best story.

The film starts with a train crash and then spends its bulk describing 4 separate situations that leads to various characters being on board the doomed train. We then return to the crash and see its aftermath.

Sounds better than it is. The film starts impressively with the force and speed of the train filmed very dramatically. This is far and away the best part of the film and provides a very powerful opening. As we meet the characters, the film gets boring and sadly, that awful unfunny British humour rears its ugly head in a couple of scenes. Trying to endear the audience to old guys by getting them to imitate a chicken or a goldfish just isn't funny to me.

Aside from the naff comedy, the cast aren't very good. This is because either the characters are weak, such as Joan Dowling (Ella), to the point where we don't care about her fate, or else they are just difficult to like. A case in point is pretty much everyone else apart from Valerie Hobson (Stella).

Pianist Irina Baronova (Irina) and composer John Clements (Raymond) are painfully embarrassing and it's all a bit of an anti-climax when so many of this dull ensemble actually survive what looks like a crash that should have resulted in many more fatalities. Oh well, better luck next time! The film scores for the excellent beginning and a confrontational scene between husband and wife Peter Finch (Philip) and Mary Morris (Louise). If the film had concentrated on developing this story in a dramatic fashion, I would be talking about a much better film. But even this little vignette is ruined by absurdity as demonstrated by what Peter Finch decides to pack in his luggage. In his LUGGAGE! To take with him! Dumb film.

A novel piece of early post war British film noir with four concurrent plots - some better than others. A very young Leslie Phillips in a non comedy role and other strong actors including Peter Finch and Jack Warner. Fascinating for railway enthusiasts and a reminder of how dirty and run down the environment was in those days. Well shot and the special effects can be excused!

This curiously little known film commands your attention from the very beginning - with what must be one of the best opening sequences ever committed to film - a startling ultra-serious train wreck looming forward - but we don't see the outcome till the finish of the story. The story, or actually stories, take the form of introducing us to four of the doomed train's passengers from 3 days before the incident. Four British directors each take a turn at 'telling' each passengers tale - up to the aftermath. For some, this technique might give the movie an episodic feel, as each presents in their own style but most won't even be aware of this. Generally, it's an interesting movie even if certain elements might now look somewhat dated but this of course will be personal to each viewer.

Two major award-winning Cinematographers Paul Beeson, and Gordon Dines, share the job of capturing the events as they unfold - all on nice b/w film stock. The film has been given a quite lavish re-mastering and the Ealing Studios DVD offers clean images and good sound. As might be expected from Ealing, there are scatterings of humor throughout the dramatic journey. Train enthusiasts will be enthralled at seeing the range of engines and rolling stock of the day being paraded - including LMS Royal Scott Class No. 46126. For any who enjoy British 40-50s movies, this could well suit you and Aussie Peter Finch appears in a major early role.