The Railway Children (2000)

Too much of everything

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Having read the novel and than seeing first the 1970 version and than this one (twice) I must say the latter is the most faithful to the book and also the better movie. Not that the actors in the 1970 version didn't do a good job, but my main gripe was that the children (especially the girls) were too old to play the railway children. In the 2000 version we have 3 young talented actors playing the railway children. Clare Thomas was charming as Phyllis and Jack Blumenau fitting as Peter. But the best casting was Jemima Rooper as Bobbie. Even though technically not a minor anymore I think she portrayed the book version of Bobbie exactly as I imagined it. Jenny Agutter wasn't bad either as Bobbie in the 1970 version but I think the mother role fitted her better. But Jemima to me was the perfect Bobbie and as she is my favorite character in the story I was happy the focus was on her. A second favorite is Mr. Perks who was brilliantly portrayed by Gregor Fisher, serious but with a good sense of dry humour. The only thing I could fault the movie is that some parts were left out and that it went fast, a bit too fast sometimes. But still love it and it has an unlimited re-watch value for me.

Apparently, this film (also an episode of the American show "Masterpiece Theater") is from a novel very famous in the UK--though I doubt if that many folks in the States have heard of it. "The Railway Children" is a very sweet tale about three siblings who manage to keep up their spirits and do good when their family suddenly is reduced to poverty.When the film begins, this family lives in a nice home and has no apparent worries. However, soon their father disappears and their mother gives them little idea where the man went. But, she also tells them that now that he is gone, they cannot afford to live in their home and move to the countryside. For some time, they can barely afford to eat--and things get only worse when mother gets ill. So, the three kids manage to do amazingly well to keep the family together, save many lives and live happily ever after.This is a very nice family film which promotes many nice virtues--such as faith, kindness and a willingness to give even when you are nearly without. Very well produced and extremely well acted by the children. Well worth seeing.By the way, Jenny Agutter played in the 1970 version of this story (as a child) and here she plays the long-suffering mother.

I really enjoyed watching The Railway children and it was nice to see Jenny Agutter as the mother as she had the part of Jemima Rooper as Bobbie back in 1970 and done a great job in both of The Railway children. Three kids live happily with their parents and are rich, until nearly everything changes. Their father is accused for something he did not do and the rest of the family have to move house. When they move house they find out that they live near a railway station and they save a train from an accident. A man helps the eldest child to find their dad and at the end they dad comes back from prison without the other two finding out.

What a sheer delight this TV film was. I saw it last night (Sunday, 23 April 2000) as it premiered on TV, and really enjoyed it. Jenny Agutter, as Mother (originally oldest daughter in the 1970 version) took a bit of a back seat, but I thought the young actors who played her children did a splendid job. This was particularly so for the oldest daughter (Bobbie, played by Jemima Rooper) who was very convincing in her roll. The young lad (Peter, played by Jack Blumenau) was a real natural as well. Hard to fault, but I was not sure of Gregor Fisher's roll as the Station Keeper, Perks. He tends to be too typecast in the UK, as an underclass Scotsman, to carry the roll off very well. I highly recommend this film - it really is a breath of fresh air, when we suffer so much from films which show much bleak dystopia, or over-sugary romantic mush. Well done to all involved - including the first class (pun!) actors, like the "Old Gentleman". A real treat.