T J's Comedy List

Films about trains, train horns and intrigue Pt. 2

I do not know what it is winter, but where I am, with the falling snow and holiday just around the corner, all I want is to see films about trains, train horns and the mystery. Here is a list of some of the best railway-themed films ever made.

"Once Upon a Time in the West"

This epic Italian spaghetti western from the man who created the genre, Sergio Leone, was his great achievement, and one of the most interesting features Henry Fonda, playing against type blood-hungry villain. At the heart of the plot of the film is the story of a family that will not give up their land in the Old West of America to make way for a railroad. The reason for the railroad as a symbol of a lost time in the United States is constantly referenced in the film. In the end, nobody wins, with Fonda and Bronson finally struggling, one of them survived, but not happy.

"Shanghai Express"

Josef von Sternberg directed this vehicle for his lady popular leaders, Marlene Dietrich, in 1932. In the middle of a civil war split China, the British captain Doc is riding the express train to Shanghai where Beiping meets his former love, and a mysterious woman named Lily Shanghai. Much of the film takes place in Shanghai Express, where the film got its name from, and is one of the most famous roles of Marlene Dietrich, even Yellowface its role as a woman of oriental ethnicity seems politically incorrect today.

"The General "

Buster Keaton was at the top of his game on this train track fim hilarious. Keaton plays a Southern railroad engineer who divides his time between his love for the engine of the train and his wife, Annabelle Lee. Keaton made all his own stunts, showing that it was a genius at comic timing and slapstick humor.

"Lady on a Train"

This black and white comedy from 1945 stars Deanna Durbin, one of the lesser known stars of the 40s and 50s. The film is a mixture of comedy, music, film, black and mystery stories. When a young woman witnesses a murder in a building, as they pass by the train goes the police, but discovers that no one believes his story.

About the Author

Alan McGee is a freelance writer from MN.

Keaton: The Great Stone Face (clip)