The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)

Great movie! I watched the movie today! The quality is pretty good. All adventures are very interesting. I read a book, called Daring & Suffering: A History of the Andrews Railroad Raid by William Pittenger, the soldier who dressed as the southern with James J. Andrews, the Union spy who stole the locomotive "General" in the Great Locomotive Chase. He wrote the book very well, looks more interesting than any novel stories. The movies gives me lots of ideas for the American Civil War that both the north and the south brought justice. All raiders were heroes, especially William A. Fuller, the conductor who commanded the locomotive "Texas" to recapture the General with the Texas' engineer and the fireman, Peter Bracken and Henry Haney. The foreman, Anthony Murphy, was also chasing the General with Fuller. I cannot believe how dramatic this movie is! I really like how Fess Parker played as Andrews, though, he looks nothing like the original Andrews. One thing I like about the movie is that the William Mason from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad played as the General and the Inyo from the Virginia & Truckee Railroad played as the Texas and the William R. Smith. The Yonah was played by the Lafayette. This movie is very educational for all history class. I would highly recommend this to everyone! If I were a teacher, I would play this movie to the class.

Exciting Disney adventure, filmed in CinemaScope, about an actual event that happened during the Civil War. It's the story of a group of Union soldiers, led by civilian spy James J. Andrews (Fess Parker), who go behind Confederate lines and steal a locomotive in Georgia. The men attempt to take the train back to Union lines in Tennessee but find themselves doggedly pursued by the train's conductor (Jeffrey Hunter). It's the same story that inspired Buster Keaton's classic silent comedy "The General." This one's no comedy and, while the chase itself is certainly the highlight of the film, it should be noted that this isn't just an action movie, either. There's some fine dramatic work here with good characterizations and a smart script. Parker and Hunter are both fantastic in their roles. The fine supporting cast includes Jeff York, Kenneth Tobey, Don Megowan, and John Lupton. It's a beautiful-looking film with excellent use of real locations and trains. History buffs and train enthusiasts should like it a lot. A real gem that I definitely recommend you give a chance.

Though Disney's film The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) is often compared to Buster Keaton's masterpiece The General (1926) due to the two pictures being based on the same historical incident, I think that's unfair. These two films could not be any more different in their approach: The General is an action-adventure/comedy/drama, while TGLC is a straightforward drama with action elements. Sure The General is the better of the two as far as great cinema goes, but the Disney picture should be assessed on its own merits and when you do so, you come to realize it is a minor gem.Performances are good all around and the action elements are well-choreographed and shot on-location on Georgia, where the real hijacking of The General took place. Though the chase is thrilling and the characters are all likable, there is a melancholy tint to the proceedings. The characters want to cut off the war once and for all. The chase itself is told in flashback, giving us knowledge of how wrong everything goes for the heroes beforehand. This somber undercurrent adds a lot to the movie.Worth watching.

The Great Locomotive ChaseWhile watching "TGLC" with my mother, she informed me that her father was a brakeman for the railroad. "A brakeman is a train board rail transport worker in the U.S. Historically, the brakeman was the person who would walk the length of a train atop the cars while the train is in motion and turn the brake wheel on each car to apply the train's brakes" from Wicipeda. A movie like this conjors up several different thoughts of wonder. What was it like to despise your fellow countrymen? What was it like to live in a country where you had no instant means of communication and travel? The movie paints an interesting historical picture that highlights the animosity between the North and the South during the civil war. It also presents us with the first recipients of the Congressianl Medal of Honor. Did I get that right? TGLC does have some impressive chase sequences that ended rather disappointedly for the Northerns. I guess I really thought they were going to get away with stealing a train. They would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for that rotten train conductor William Campbell (Jeffrey Hunter) and his mangy dog. It's also fun to see Jeff York (Mike Fink) and Fess Parker (Davy Crockett) on hand to lend personality to this Civil War light family drama.My mother enjoyed it more than I did. This is one of those movies I can appreciate but don't necessarily like. It just didn't draw me in to the train ride. It didn't roll me down the tracks. I was busy writing another movie review at the time, so maybe the distraction derailed me a tad bit. I would perhaps watch it again sometime and give it more of a fair chance. I did like at the end how the Fess Parker Character (James Andrews) even though he was going to hang for stealing a confederate train, wanted to make peace with the man whose train he stole, William A Fuller. (Jeffrey Hunter). He knew the war would end and that both sides would have to shake hands in peace and that he wanted to do it now because he wouldn't be alive to do it later. He didn't beg for his life, didn't insult his enemy, wasn't hoping to not be hanged, but just wanted to make peace with his enemy thus making peace with his God. This powerful scene of redemption and forgiveness makes up for any boring element I may have found in the picture.A good film that deserves a rental for those interested in learning about history in a fun way.