Big Train, The (Part I) (1950)

★★★★★ · "The train will help deliver the future, as it has done from the beginning" · Carbón de Coque · 2009-10-07

I was originally interested in this film because of the incredible scenes of an integrated steel mill complex that are the highlight of the first few minutes. As an industrial documentary, it is a rare gem. Some of the SCIENCE! scenes are campy and obviously staged, but I also enjoyed seeing the period laboratory instrumentation, and especially the punchcards and other vintage computer ephemera. The "rant" from Alfred Perlman isn't off-the cuff, it's a prepared speech delivered in a passionate, let level voice. Here's my transcript, starting from 7:32 in Part II: But that is only half the…

★★★★★ · The America the Beautiful · DannyLMcDaniel · 2010-01-02

I grew up next to the New York Central in North Central Indiana and to see the steel mill complex takes me back to the day of Americas great industrial prowess. Unfortunately, those days are gone but this film about the railroad and the industrial Midwest is what the industrial heart of China actually looks like. The Chinese are now living our golden years. I still believe that the man-made steel works from South Chicago to upstate New York were the most beautiful structures ever built by Americans. There will never be a time when all the hype about "Green" technology will provide the raw…

★★★ · Some things never change · Gary Landrio · 2003-10-25

This analysis of the railroad industry is amazing in that done 45 years ago, it is still accurate. More amazing is that inspite of the unbalanced national transportation policies the railroad industry has been resilent enough to still survive. Al Perlman was a hard nosed railroader, who was also a visionary of his time. This film clearly shows that railroad industry's efforts to change and improve. It also shows through Perlaman's commentary how poor our national policies have been and still are.

★★★ · Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a.... · Christine Hennig · 2003-12-30

Made by the New York Central Railroad, this 50s film tells us how railroads are modernizing in standard industrial film style. It goes into a great deal of detail about this in a rather dry fashion. Railroad buffs will probably find it interesting, others less so. The last part of the film is a rather whiny lecture by Alfred Pearlman about how the government subsidizes other forms of transportation, but lets the railroads shift for themselves. After learning about how many government perks the railroads were given back in the 19th century, I cant say his little talk stimulates much sympathy…

★★ · Like A Little Whine With Your Railroads? · Spuzz · 2003-01-30

Essentially two films, the Big Train combines a rather stirring voyage a freight train makes from Point A to Point B, with a unbelievable whining complaint from the Railroad's head honcho. Alfred Perlman. The film starts out with Perlman introducing the film we're about to see. With jarring narration (A Rod Serling wannabe?) the voyage of the train is told, filmed with great simplistic shots of the tracks going by, this part is actually quite exciting, with it's jarring music and melodrama. The real fun starts when Perlman, realizing that this film is not all about him, comes back on about 5…