The Railway Children (1971)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Excellent but underrated film

As Good As It Gets

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This film is a family for all the family. Yes you will find yourself reaching for the tissues quite a lot, but its all happy tears. My Daddy, My Daddy gets me every time. Anyone who can watch that without sobbing has no soul. This film is fantastic due to Bernard Cribbins being in this film with his character Mr Albert Perks. Wouldn't we all love to know a Mr Perks? He has so many scenes that make you smile and laugh at, his kindness and simple enjoyment of life. Of course his Birthday scenes, entering the home and saying 'Hello Woman!' to his wife is one of the best. I could go on and on about this film, it has so many parts I love. The scenery is stunning, not to sure about the earthquake trees sliding down the hill, but we'll over look that one! I dare you to watch it and not like it. I'm off to wave at trains and send my love...

Wrongfully convicted of treason, Charles Waterbury (Iain Cuthbertson) is sentenced to five years of penal servitude. His family in dire straits moves to the English countryside from London with most of their worldly possessions left behind. What follows is a genuinely heartwarming story that focuses on the three Waterbury children who, in an effort to maintain a positive outlook, develop personal relationships with the citizens of Yorkshire and more than a passing acquaintance with riders on the steam train that travels daily past their new home.Now I'm not sure if most siblings would be this outgoing, but the Waterbury children seem to have hearts of gold. It appears second nature for them to take in a stranded Russian with a broken leg, prevent a serious train accident due to a landslide, and nurse back to health an injured runner when they find him unconscious. All the while, they keep an unspoken promise never to inquire of their missing father so their mother (Dinah Sheridan) can be spared further grief.The takeaway for most viewers will certainly be the unselfishness of the Waterbury children, and from them we can all learn a lesson of selfless charity and humility. Particularly impressive was the way they won over station agent Perks (Bernard Cribbins) who initially railed at what he considered a snipe at his family's circumstances. With gentle touches of humor and old fashioned family values, "The Railway Children" is well recommended for families with it's lessons of positive attitude, selfless charity and a conviction that negative circumstances don't last forever.

The book "The Railway Children" is a children's book published in 1906 by Edith Nesbit, an early British socialist who had very strong views about the importance of family values for the upbringing of children, and the story it told was presumably intended to be contemporary. Somewhat surprisingly, it seems to retain a significant appeal for today's children a hundred years later.A film adaptation of an Edwardian classic children's story with the principal roles those of the children, does not sound very exciting to most film-goers in this day and age. But a really great performance by Jenny Agutter who (near the start of her long and distinguished acting career) played the part of the oldest girl Roberta (Bobby), combined with remarkable work by the script-writer and director Lionel Jeffries and outstanding photography by Arthur Ibbetson, have made this a film that is still not to be missed, and one which most of its viewers find quite memorable. It is remarkable that this book, set in the year 1905, was filmed five times between 1951 and 2000, (four of them by the BBC for British television), and all of these versions are not only still greatly admired but also very highly regarded (something that user comments on this database will confirm), even though this may seem almost inconceivable for a nostalgic period story designed to appeal primarily to children. Since I have not seen the four BBC TV versions, these comments relate exclusively to the 1970 film version produced for showing in cinemas. Unlike most films of children's books, 'The Railway Children' may appeal more to adults than to children. The structure of family life has changed so much in the last century that many children may feel totally lost by the way in which it is depicted in the film, whereas many older adults may find it has a considerable nostalgic appeal. Perhaps compensating for this, the children featured in the film are full of life and vitality, whilst the adult characters although well rounded tend to mostly be 'stuffed shirts'. The story is a mature one, which deals with love, support and encouragement, it is not only timeless but capable of appealing to all ages. It can fairly be described as sentimental and more than a little idealised, but it is never in any way mawkish, and that rarely justified adjective 'uplifting' fits it like a glove.Spoiler Ahead.The film starts with its upper middle class Edwardian family celebrating Christmas in a comfortable and fairly spacious London home when two unexpected visitors call and take Father (who is a senior government officer) away with them. Mother has to move to a very small cottage alongside the railway in a remote part of Yorkshire and the children gradually build a new life mainly associated with the railway and the few trains that pass. This life proves quite eventful in small ways and the elder daughter Bobby grows up rapidly as she takes over more responsibilities from her mother. At one point she averts an accident to the train when her sharp eyes spot that a landslide has created a natural hazard. Father's story is never given much emphasis, but he is never forgotten and it gradually becomes apparent that he is incarcerated and suspected of treason. Finally these suspicions are cleared up (we are not told how or why) and he reappears unexpectedly at the local station to rejoin his family.For many years this film was not available in any home video format in North America, but Anchor Bay created a DVD from it three years ago, so they clearly recognised that this quite simple film has not yet lost its appeal. For anyone who has not got one already, I would very strongly recommend rushing out to buy a copy of this DVD whilst it is still available - you would be most unlikely to be disappointed unless you have become totally cynical, or your minimum requirements for a film include buckets of blood and/or intense sex scenes.

Perhaps once in a generation a film comes along that is perfection. For me, "The Railway Children" is that film - a timeless classic that was directed and performed most beautifully. It depicts all that is worthwhile in humanity and climaxes in the conquest of love and faith over cruel injustice. Every performance is a gem, though Bobbie stands out and, like Judy Garland as Dorothy before her, Jenny Agutter makes it impossible for us to imagine anyone else in the role.The world is all the better for this film and the children of today would be much the better for watching it.Of course, like so many young men of my generation, I fell hopelessly in love with Jenny Agutter and her hold was as strong when I had the great good fortune to meet her a few days ago - the bewitching smile and voice like dripping honey were still there to send me weak at the knees as they first did all those years ago!