norm_anderson

It can truly be said that an "uncredited co-star" in this film is the Santa Fe Railway's luxurious, all-Pullman "Super Chief" streamliner. Nearly all the action takes place aboard the train, but the set pieces used are NOT studio mock-ups. In late 1951, the Santa Fe had just taken a large order of brand-new equipment to upgrade their flagship train, and they allowed Brenco Pictures Corp. to disassemble the interiors of a brand-new Sleeping Car, Dining Car, and Vista-Dome Lounge Car, and truck these interiors over to their sound stages for filming. Thus, the tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, and other accoutrements are not some director's "concept" of first-class passenger train travel, but are the actual interiors of the actual cars on the real-life "Super Chief." Anyone who's not a railfan will probably find this irrelevant, but for those who care about such things, this now qualifies as rare archival footage.

Whatever your feelings about trains, one of the highlights of the film is Hans Conreid, who turns in a superb bit of physical comedy in the train's on-board Barber Shop.

First, a single-word summary-- Unwatchable.

As I watched this film, I couldn't shake the impression that this may have been some group's first attempt at making a movie, with actors, crew, and technicians who are still learning their craft. The premise is intriguing, but of all the attempts to bring Jules Verne's 1864 novel to the screen, this one may be the worst of the lot. I am as willing as anyone to suspend my disbelief and hang on for the ride, if the story is well-told; but the wooden acting, preposterous dialog, cheesy special-effects, and overall lack of focus and discipline added up to a rather grueling hour and a half, that felt like six hours. If they were still making episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, this turkey would be ripe for a good basting.