Barbara Houston
The fact that this film is from 1924 should have told me it's a silent movie but I wasn't thinking. I'm not a fan of silent movies but my husband got a collection of FORD AT FOX for Christmas and he wanted to start at the beginning.I can't believe how much I love the movie.This was the beginning of John Ford's career, so much so that he is not credited on screen. Even though he isn't credited, it is so clearly a John Ford film. The action, drama and humor intertwine so clearly in his style. Fans of westerns will enjoy this film and I am looking forward to watching the progression of talent over time.
wcrypto
Having at one time been the Southern Pacific Trainmaster for the territory of the eastern half of the predecessor Central Pacific, I have done extensive research on the old CPRR, between Montello NV and Lovelock NV.Although not a "railfan" nor a "steam fan", I am an amateur historian.John Ford's work in "The Iron Horse" was absolutely brilliant. He brought to the screen the real feeling of genuineness with the way the original "Chinaman's railroad" (as many local historians called it) was constructed, to the screen with absolute realism.My father and his brother were working for Universal at the time this was made.I'm a real fan of John Ford, and would rank this among his "most technically correct" film accomplishments, and I know that he always strove for realism.Walter J Gould
Teebs2
Very early John Ford western, don't bother looking for John Wayne here! "The Iron Horse" tells the story of the building of the railroad across America from the East to West coasts. Of course this is a movie so we also get a romance plot, a vengeance plot, hostile Indians, corrupt officials, jovial Irishmen, nasty Indians and so forth.Although the tone of the film is mostly pretty patriotic and upbeat, there are several darker moments that hint at the corruption and greed in business as landowners attempt to influence the route of the railroad with bribes of women and money. Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" amongst many other later Westerns takes this theme further. Much of the work is done by Chinese immigrants, but they all seem pretty cheerful here!In many areas the film is inevitably dated, particularly it's comic scenes and the aforementioned treatment of racial stereotypes. There are a few landscape shots and action scenes, but none as stunning or exciting as in Ford's slightly later "Stagecoach". The 2 hour plus running time is also a little too much. However, the film does succeed in creating an overwhelming sense of achievement in the creation of the railroad, although the sense that 'Civilisation' may actually be a threat, developed in later Westerns, is already apparent with the saloon that doubles as a court of law, and a drunken judge.
alexandre michel liberman (tmwest)
This film has unforgettable scenes, like: 1)Abraham Lincoln meeting Miriam many years later, you suddenly realize that he was the man that was looking at her playing with her boyfriend many years before. 2)the cruel hunting of the buffaloes. 3) the towns that would emerge near the railroad track, with their typical characters, saloons, etc 4) the fact that the two real locomotives that actually met are brought again in the film for the scene of the meeting. However this film has been hurt by the lack of sound more than other westerns like "The Covered Wagon" and "Tumbleweeds". These two films had long scenes that required no talking, whereas a film that shows a railroad being built needs more interpretation.
AD
