The Railway Children

"The railway, the children... and the wonderful secret they'll share with you!"

1970 1h 49m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 109

DramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the dawn of the 20th century, following their father's arrest on suspicion of betraying state secrets, the three Waterbury children—Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter—move with their mother to Yorkshire, where they find themselves involved in unexpected dramas along the railway by their new home.

“The railway, the children... and the wonderful secret they'll share with you!”

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Cast

Dinah Sheridan
Mrs. Waterbury
Bernard Cribbins
Albert Perks
William Mervyn
Old Gentleman
Iain Cuthbertson
Charles Waterbury
Jenny Agutter
Roberta 'Bobbie' Waterbury
Sally Thomsett
Phyllis Waterbury
Gary Warren
Peter Waterbury
Peter Bromilow
Doctor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lionel Jeffries
Writers: Robert Lynn, Lionel Jeffries
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Railway Children Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lionel Jeffries, shot by Arthur Ibbetson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johnny Douglas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Teddy Darvas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lionel Jeffries directs. Arthur Ibbetson behind the camera. Johnny Douglas scores. Teddy Darvas cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4Part of the "The Railway Children Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Lionel Jeffries, shot by Arthur Ibbetson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Johnny Douglas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Teddy Darvas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Dinah Sheridan and Bernard Cribbins and William Mervyn carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The railway, the children... and the wonderful secret they'll share with you!".
11IMDB entry: tt0066279 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "northern england", "countryside", "father", "railway car".

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Ibbetson
Original score: Johnny Douglas
Editing: Teddy Darvas
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $375,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Railway Children (1970)

Part of

The Railway Children Collection

A series of films based on E. Nesbit's novel.

Also by

Lionel Jeffries

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-01-05
★ 9/10
It's like we're in a besieged castle, the arrows of the foe striking against the battlements. Adapted from E. Nesbit's much adored novel, this filmic version is directed by Lionel Jeffries and stars Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Iain Cuthbertson, Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett and Gary Warren. Music is by Johnny Douglas and cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson. Rightly thought of as a British classic, story finds three children relocating to Yorkshire after their father has wrongly been imprisoned for treason. Trying to go about their fatherless life in this small Yorkshire village, they find solace in the happenings of the local railway station, and from there action, drama and pending adulthood does beckon. Picture comes with splendid Edwardian detail, of a time long since lost to Britain. Jeffries never once over eggs the Yorkshire pudding, filling out his pic with great dramatic sequences and wonderful coming of age literacy. Boosted by a scintillating turn from a then 18 year old Agutter as the eldest Waterbury sibling holding things together during a one parent crisis, this is a beautiful picture that reminds us of better times. 9/10
Peter McGinn2022-03-28
★ 8/10
A film version of another one of those children's classic novels from the early 20th century. The younger actors from necessity need to carry a movie like this, and I thought they did a grand job. They don’t overact much at all, and are sometimes subtle with a witty line or childlike observation. I also thought Bernard Cribbins did a wonderful job as Perks, crusty on the surface, but only on the surface, and full of energy and enthusiasm bringing the role to life. The rest of the ensemble cast were fine also. It was well worth watching. There are other versions, though the only one that intrigues me is the mini-series version as it will have more time to include additional scenes from the book.
CinemaSerf2023-06-03
★ 7/10
A well-to-do suburban family suddenly get a visitor one evening; their father is taken away and their lives turned topsy-turvy. They relocate to "Three Chimneys" a ramshackle house beside a railway line in Yorkshire where they slowly settle into a new life making friends as they go. Bernard Cribbins steals this as the permanently chirpy station porter “Mr. Perks" (and Deddie Davies as his long-suffering wife); William Mervyn as the kindly "old gentleman" whom the children wave to every morning as he passes on his train and Peter Bromilow as the doctor all help us to feel a part of this story as the children have some adventures and mishaps en route to an entirely satisfactory conclusion. Beautifully adapted from E. Nesbit's book, this is another of the films we just couldn't make as good now.