[deleted]
I'd say that Whiskey Galore was funnier, but Titfield Thunderbolt is a charming and very winning comedy. Highly enjoyable, however one defines "greatness" in a movie. Certainly one of the best Ealings.
shareThe film has charm rather than laughs. I just smile at the gentle humour. Nice film.
shareIt has charm but the plot is not that great and actually the writing is rather flawed. Why does the Town Clerk at the end fail to mention the sabotage that the coach company did?
Its that man again!!
While the gentle comedy aspect is the hallmark of this lovely film, don't overlook the occasional "digs" at the establishment. When John Gregson and the vicar are discussing whether the railway CAN be saved, Gregson says "Look at the Canterbury and Whitstable line - they closed that!", and the vicar raises his eyes heavenwards and utters the immortal line "Perhaps there were not sufficient men of faith in Canterbury!!".
Also, during the meeting in the village hall the local Trades Union official is the perfect illustration of the inflexibility of Unions rampant at that time. In the film his objections are easily overcome, but the sad fact is that in the real manufacturing industries of Britain at that time jobs were starting to be lost because employers were realising that they could get their products made far cheaper and quicker abroad.
This inflexibility is mirrored in the film's portrayal of the Government Department of Transport officials - nowadays they would be called "jobsworths" ("it's more than my job's worth to depart even slightly from our laid-down regulations....)