The Railway Children
Release date: 1970-12-21
Votes: 97
Genres: Drama, Family
At the dawn of the 20th century, following their father's arrest on suspicion of betraying state secrets, the three Waterbury children—Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter—move with their mother to Yorkshire, where they find themselves involved in unexpected dramas along the railway by their new home.
Reviews
John Chard
It's like we're in a besieged castle, the arrows of the foe striking against the battlements. Adapted from E. Nesbit's much adored novel, this filmic version is directed by Lionel Jeffries and stars Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Iain Cuthbertson, Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett and Gary Warren. Music is by Johnny Douglas and cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson. Rightly thought of as a British classic, story finds three children relocating to Yorkshire after their father has wrongly been imprisoned for treason. Trying to go about their fatherless life in this small Yorkshire village, they find solace in the happenings of the local railway station, and from there action, drama and pending adulthood does beckon. Picture comes with splendid Edwardian detail, of a time long since lost to Britain. Jeffries never once over eggs the Yorkshire pudding, filling out his pic with great dramatic sequences and wonderful coming of age literacy. Boosted by a scintillating turn from a then 18 year old Agutter as the eldest Waterbury sibling holding things together during a one parent crisis, this is a beautiful picture that reminds us of better times. 9/10
Peter McGinn
A film version of another one of those children's classic novels from the early 20th century. The younger actors from necessity need to carry a movie like this, and I thought they did a grand job. They don’t overact much at all, and are sometimes subtle with a witty line or childlike observation. I also thought Bernard Cribbins did a wonderful job as Perks, crusty on the surface, but only on the surface, and full of energy and enthusiasm bringing the role to life. The rest of the ensemble cast were fine also. It was well worth watching. There are other versions, though the only one that intrigues me is the mini-series version as it will have more time to include additional scenes from the book.
CinemaSerf
A well-to-do suburban family suddenly get a visitor one evening; their father is taken away and their lives turned topsy-turvy. They relocate to "Three Chimneys" a ramshackle house beside a railway line in Yorkshire where they slowly settle into a new life making friends as they go. Bernard Cribbins steals this as the permanently chirpy station porter “Mr. Perks" (and Deddie Davies as his long-suffering wife); William Mervyn as the kindly "old gentleman" whom the children wave to every morning as he passes on his train and Peter Bromilow as the doctor all help us to feel a part of this story as the children have some adventures and mishaps en route to an entirely satisfactory conclusion. Beautifully adapted from E. Nesbit's book, this is another of the films we just couldn't make as good now.
Movie Recommendation
Elena Undone2010-06-25The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.More...
Deadly Friend1986-10-10When tragedy strikes his remarkable robot and the beautiful girl next door, lonely teenage genius Paul tries to save them by pushing technology beyond its known limits into a terrifying new realm.More...
Motel 6662015-11-12Simon is a motel owner looking to expand business by marketing his motel as haunted. He invites a reality television crew to spend the night collecting paranormal evidence. The crew gets more than they bargained for, however. The level of paranormal activity is higher than usual, which concerns Ted, the crew's leader and television host. There is no turning back, but will Ted and his team survive?More...
The Railway Children2000-09-11At the dawn of the 20th century, following their father's arrest on suspicion of betraying state secrets, the three Waterbury children—Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter—move with their mother to Yorkshire, where they find themselves involved in unexpected dramas along the railway by their new home.More...
Sunstruck1972-12-22Stanley Evans, a Welsh schoolteacher, decides to emigrate to Australia for a better life but ends up working in a school in the dead-end town of Kookaburra Springs. He forms a school choir and decides to compete in a singing competition in SydneyMore...
The Secret Garden1993-08-13A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.More...
The Girl with All the Gifts2016-09-23In the future, a strange fungus has changed nearly everyone into thoughtless, flesh-eating monsters. When a scientist and a teacher find a girl who seems to be immune to the fungus, they all begin a journey to save humanity.More...
Flipped2010-08-06When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.More...
Jack Reacher2012-12-20One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interrogation yields one written note: 'Get Jack Reacher!'. Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney. However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears. So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.More...
8 Mile2002-11-08For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.More...
Minions2015-06-17Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world.More...
Oppenheimer2023-07-19The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.More...
Joker2019-10-01During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.More...
Zack Snyder's Justice League2021-03-18Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.More...
19172019-12-25At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.More...
Soul2020-12-25Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.More...
Everything Everywhere All at Once2022-03-24An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what's important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.More...
Fifty Shades Darker2017-02-08When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together.More...
Inside Out2015-06-17When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.More...
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)2020-02-05Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.More...
Similar Movies
On Golden Pond
1981-12-04For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years.Robin Hood
1973-11-08With King Richard off to the Crusades, Prince John and his slithering minion, Sir Hiss, set about taxing Nottingham's citizens with support from the corrupt sheriff - and staunch opposition by the wily Robin Hood and his band of merry men.High Plains Drifter
1973-04-19A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.Quo Vadis
1951-11-08After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.Are We There Yet?
2005-01-20The fledgling romance between Nick, a playboy bachelor, and Suzanne, a divorced mother of two, is threatened by a particularly harrowing New Years Eve. When Suzanne's work keeps her in Vancouver for the holiday, Nick offers to bring her kids to the city from Portland, Oregon. The kids, who have never liked any of the men their mom dates, are determined to turn the trip into a nightmare for Nick.A Room with a View
2007-11-04When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperon Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans?Ice Princess
2005-03-17With the help of her coach, her mom, and the boy who drives the Zamboni, nothing can stop Casey Carlyle from realizing her dream to be a champion figure skater.Santa Claus
1959-11-26Pitch, the mean-spirited devil, is trying to ruin Christmas. Santa Claus teams up with Merlin the Magician and the children of the world in order to save the day!Kes
1970-04-03Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.My Father and My Son
2005-11-18A left-wing journalist whose wife died while giving birth to his son during a military coup returns to his family's farm. Estranged from his father for turning his back on the family and wasting his life with political activism instead, he tries to reconnect with him so that his son will have a place to live as his health is deteriorating due to the extensive torture he had to endure.Withnail & I
1987-06-19Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.Keane
2004-09-03William Keane is barely able to cope. It has been six months since his six-year-old daughter was abducted from New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal while traveling with him. Repeatedly drawn to the site of the abduction, Keane wanders the bus station, compulsively replaying the events of that fateful day, as if hoping to change the outcome.Holiday Inn
1942-07-10Lovely Linda Mason has crooner Jim Hardy head over heels, but suave stepper Ted Hanover wants her for his new dance partner after fickle Lila Dixon gives him the brush. Jim's supper club, Holiday Inn, is the setting for the chase by Hanover and his manager.The Little Mermaid: A...
2008-08-25Follow Ariel's adventures before she gave up her fins for true love. When Ariel wasn't singing with her sisters, she spent time with her mother, Queen Athena. Ariel is devastated when Athena is killed by pirates, and after King Triton outlaws all singing. Along with pals Flounder and Sebastian, Ariel sets off in hopes of changing her father's decision to ban music from the kingdom.Mia
2023-04-06The story of a small, simple and happy family in which a boy, a manipulator, violently enters, which distorts the life of this wonderful fifteen-year-old and makes her a nightmare.Battle of the Bulge
1965-12-16In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent it, Hitler orders an all-out offensive to re-take French territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp.Labyrinth
1986-06-27Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.Class Savage
2008-11-18Before we can join society as productive and acceptable human beings, we are forced to endure a difficult and trying experience - high school. In a world run by youth, primal attributes dictate who is 'King of the Classroom'. When Marty, a troubled but talented teenager, moves into the locker beside his school's 'Classroom King', a charismatic but grossly sadistic cocaine dealer, his position on the high school food chain sinks to an unsurpassed low. Marty is forced to make the decision of his life: put up with the savage humiliation, or respond with the same primal attitude he is attacked with. His choices slowly but surely reveal who is Class Savage.Kiss the Girls
1997-09-29Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.Brassed Off
1996-11-01A Yorkshire coal mine is threatened with closure and the only hope is for the men to enter their Grimley Colliery Brass Band into a national competition. They believe they have no hope until Gloria appears carrying her Flugelhorn. At first mocked for being a woman, she soon becomes the only chance for the band to win.