Thursday, November 12, 2009

Collision (2009) and Train of Events (1949)




Collision, ITV's drama this week, reminds me of the 1949 Ealing film Chain of Events.

As Wikipedia says:

The film opens with a long shot of a Liverpool-bound train waiting to depart from Euston station. The train leaves with various characters on board.

After dark, the train is still travelling north at speed when a light being waved by the trackside is seen by the driver. Alerted to possible trouble he applies the emergency brakes, but a road tanker stalled across a level crossing is looming up just ahead. Plainly, there is not enough room to stop. Just as the collision is about to occur there is a fade out, which is succeeded by a general view of the railway locomotive sheds at Euston, three days prior to the accident.

Several personal stories are then told in a series of flashbacks which make up the train of events referred to in the title.

I didn't think the crash was that well staged in Collision, but I have to admit that it is better than the special effects in Train of Events.

Still, the train is driven by Jack Warner. And I remember that in an early scene someone makes his way across London and passes a neon sign advertising Nicholson's gin. That is Nicholson as in Emma Nicholson - she comes from the distilling family.

1 comment:

crewegwyn said...

There were no "locomotive sheds" at Euston.

Camden, dear boy. Camden.

Many years since I've seen the film, but I loved the shed scenes - reminded me of visiting sheds with my (engine driver) father when I was a little, little boy.