Why so much hype?

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Made ten years before the Beeching report yet seems to predict it. I showed this film to a Danish friend after playing 'The Blue Lamp'. He chose this as the better film.

To love this film (which I do), one has to accept that it is pure fantasy, even back in the 1950's rural English life was never like it is portrayed in this film, that said, it is a wonderful piece of nostalgia for those who yearn for a picture postcard England that never was. The photography is masterful, as is the direction and acting. To sit down and watch this film is a pleasure for both the eye and the soul. It is wistful, innocent, and above all has that peculiar English quaintness that has somehow been lost in the years since it was made. Ealing Studios had the unique ability to make the whimsical seem believable, (e.g. Passport to Pimlico, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob), and as such should be applauded, especially as these films were made in the austerity of post war Britain. I personally think that this film is the quaintest of all the Ealing Comedies, and also the best. For entertainment value it is faultless and can be watched and enjoyed by any age group, and whether or not one likes trains, to see a 100 + year old locomotive steaming along the tracks is indeed a wonderful sight.

Before I begin, I wonder if anyone else noticed that the plot to this film is actually very, very similar to one of Harold Lloyd's films, SPEEDY. It, like the TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT, is about an older form of transportation that is supposed to be phased out in favor of the new, but people band together to keep their old line. In the case of SPEEDY, it was a trolley in New York in the late 1920s. Here, with the THUNDERBOLT, it's a train in a rural English town near the Welsh border (in the fictional town of Titfield which is supposedly near Bath). And, in both cases, the competition does its best to prevent the old line from fulfilling its obligation--thus putting the old company out of business. TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT is a bit different, as it's more of an ensemble film and the humor is a lot more subtle, but otherwise the films sure are similar.The film begins with an announcement that the old train line will be closed and replaced by the new bus service. However, the vicar and some of the other locals have a nostalgic love of the old service and approach the government to buy the line and run it themselves. However, again and again, the bus company does its best to make sure the train won't run on time and thus lose its contract. The final straw seems to be when the train is vandalized and made unusable on the night before the government inspector is due to inspect the railroad. What will they do--and why is the word 'Thunderbolt' in the film's title?! This is a nice gentle sort of film that hearkens back to bygone days--to an England that no longer exists. As such, the film is a great historical document and both entertains AND reminds us of our past. Additionally, a lovely ensemble cast, nice and leisurely direction and lovely color (a rarity in Ealing films) make for a memorable trip down memory lane.

This delightful comedy would be a joy in black-and-white. In Technicolor it's a real treat. The vividly English landscapes are used imaginatively to augment the appeal of the trains themselves. Color is drawn upon inventively to set the moods for various scenes and to cast a wonderful spell of romance, of firmly delineated villains and purest-motived heroes in a classic tale of St George versus the dragon.T.E.B. Clarke's wittily observed, richly characterized script offers a wonderfully unlikely St George in the local vicar. His squire is the young squire himself, his champion a friendly bishop. The dragons are the local bus proprietors. Very fitting. I love trains, hate buses. Any movie that toes this line is going to get 100% of my vote anyway.But, additionally, the acting here is so winning, so endearing, so priceless. Not a single player is out of step. All have their opportunities — even Naunton Wayne (in a more or less straight role) and Sid James (as a heavy) — and all make the most of them. It's good to see George Relph (a noted actor on stage, Relph made only 14 movies between 1916 and 1959) in the leading role, though Stanley Holloway's fans may be a bit disappointed to find his contribution is comparatively small and lines up as more of a character part than that of a clown. Nonetheless, he does make the most of some delightfully amusing lines and bits of business and does share some glorious moments of inspired slapstick with Hugh Griffith (even if topped by Wensley Pithey's breathless recital of their collective misdemeanors).Producer Michael Truman and director Charles Crichton have obviously made a considerable effort to cast Clarke's wonderful parade of village types with just the right players. Gabrielle Brune, hardly a household name (she made only 21 films between 1930 and 1972, mostly in very small roles) seems ideal as the local hostelry's sympathetic barmaid. Similarly, television actor John Rudling (who made only five films of which this is the third), delivers some of the script's most telling lines with exactly the right tone of brusque officiousness. Of course, people like Reginald Beckwith as the stumped union man and Michael Trubshawe as the "I was about to add" public servant play much their usual characters. But they do it so well and with such precision, who's complaining? Crichton's direction rates as beautifully paced and deftly assured as ever, whilst Slocombe's wondrous photography comes over so pleasingly you really need to see the movie three or four times to appreciate its richness. Auric's score is a crowd-pleaser too, whilst Seth Holt's editing seems as polished as spun gold.Produced on an admirably lavish budget, The Titfield Thunderbolt can be summed up as one of the most brilliant, enduring gems of British comedy. A must for train buffs of course. But equally a superb entertainment for all of us who like to see individuals win against bureaucracy, underdogs defeat "progress".