A Steam Train Passes is an award-winning 1974 Australian short film made in the 1940s, featuring the construction and operation of 3801 locomotives.
Video A Steam Train Passes
Plot
The opening sequence is a 1943 black-and-white Cinesound newsreel Monarch of the Rails showing the locomotive being built. The film subsequently changed color and featured locomotives at Enfield Locomotive Depot, then home of the New South Wales Railway Museum. The firemen lit the fire and the driver checked the locomotive. When locomotive ready turntable turn on.
The main part of the film shows trains traveling through the New South Wales countryside through different locations including Sydney suburbs, the Hawkesbury River Train Bridge, Ten Tunnel Tunnels, Blayney stations and the Picton-Mittagong ring road. These scenes are interspersed with life sketches of the 1940s including a traveling merchant, a marriage and a state soldier in a pub, all linked to a train journey.
Most of the audio is sound directly from the train, with some overlay with original music by George Dreyfus.
Maps A Steam Train Passes
Cast
No part speaks so the actors are not credited. The only "acting" credit is for driver Chris O'Sullivan and firefighter Harold Fowler, both employees of the Public Transport Commission. Cecil Barnes is a firefighter in the movie's final scene. He and the driver in the scene were meant to be the 'previous' incarnation of the driver and firefighter being credited.
Reception
A Steam Train Passes is one of Australia's most successful films. It has won many awards and is generally regarded as the best railroad movie in Australia.
Awards include:
- 1974 Australian Film Film Awards, Silver Kodak Award for Photography (Documentary Category)
- 1974 Australian Film Film Awards, Bronze Medal for Dean Semler
- US Industrial Film Festival 1975, Silver Screen Award - 2nd Prize, History & amp; Biography
- International Film Festival 1975 1975, Certificate of Merit Documentation Section 9, History
- 1975 San Francisco International Film Festival, Special Jury Award - Communication Section
- 1975 Cork International Film Festival, St Fincar Statue, Category D (Short Fiction)
- 1975 Melbourne International Film Festival, Short Film Special Award.
- Australian Cinematographers Society Award, Golden Tripod.
Movie recording
The recording of the film has become almost a recording of stock for other productions that require recording of steam trains. Records have been used in Sirens, Rabbit-Proof Fencing, True Persons, Curtin and some documentaries.
The original negatives are retained in the National Film and Sound Archives.
Recovery
In 2012, National Film and Sound Archives restore and rejuvenate the movie digitally. The Australian film made it available on YouTube on August 27 that year.
References
External links
- Steam Train Passed on YouTube on the Australian Movies YouTube channel.
- Two quotes on the Australian Film site In Rails (select clip title)
- 3801 at Georges Plains, July 4, 1974 during the filming of A Steam Train Passes , a photo by Dennis Rittson
- Steam Train Passed in National Movies and Sound Archives
- Steam Train Passed on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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