The Railway Children (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Catherine Morshead

Writers:

E. Nesbit (novel)
Simon Nye (writer)

Release Date:

12 November 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Family

Plot Keywords:

Brother Sister Relationship | Mother Son Relationship | Magazine | Children | Affection

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jack Blumenau	...	Peter
Clare Thomas	...	Phyllis
Jemima Rooper	...	Bobbie
Jenny Agutter	...	Mother
Michael Kitchen	...	Father
Valerie Minifie	...	Cook
Melanie Clark Pullen	...	Ruth
Georgie Glen	...	Aunt Emma
Gregor Fisher	...	Perks
Amanda Walker	...	Mrs Ransome
Clive Russell	...	Station Master
Richard Attenborough	...	The Old Gentleman
David Bamber	...	Dr Forrest
Jane Wood	...	Mrs Viney
Ian Gain	...	Bargee

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:U

Filming Locations:

Horsted Keynes station, Bluebell Railway, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Carlton Television

Trivia:

The eldest of the railway children, Roberta, is named after Berta Ruck, a close friend of E. Nesbit.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where the children are on the canal bridge they watch a horse drawn canal boat pass under the bridge, the boat however is a motor boat and not an unpowered boat, motor boats did not appear on the canals until the 1920s.

Quotes:

Phyllis: Open my present Peter! It's crayons. If you don't want them, I'll have them!

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Railway Children (1970)

Superb and faithful adaptation!

Amazingly, this is the fifth film of this novel (BBC TV 1950, 1957, 1967, theatrical film 1970, BBC TV 2000) and Jenny Agutter appeared in three of them (as Bobbie, 1967 and 1970, and as Mother, 2000). I thought nothing could be better than her performance as Bobbie, but she even truly surpassed herself playing Bobbie's mother! In this 2000 production, the BBC has reached the height and pinnacle of perfection, having probably produced the best filmed adaptation of any of E. Nesbit's works to date.