The Titfield Thunderbolt

When a corporation threatens to take over a small railway line, a group of villagers decide to try and run it for themselves, in Ealing studios' first colour comedy.

When a corporation threatens to take over a small railway line, a group of villagers decide to try and run it for themselves. The final collaboration between director Charles Crichton and writer T.E.B. Clarke, The Titfield Thunderbolt is a stunningly scenic gem in Ealing's repertoire. Anarchic and, when necessary, silly, The Titfield Thunderbolt brings us often raucous rural scenes in stunning colour.

The Titfield Thunderbolt is a film that honours community. The village, with their quintessentially British leaders of a vicar and a country squire, would much rather put in the effort of running their own railway than let it fall into the hands of a crafty corporation. It is this communal spirit that makes this film shine as one of Ealing's underappreciated wonders.