Burt Lancaster stars in “The Train,” showing at the Harbor Theater on National Train Day, Saturday, May 10. (Courtesy photo)
Harbor Theater joins nonprofits and cinemas across Maine in celebrating Maine’s railroad heritage with “Full Speed Ahead,” a statewide festival of entertainment, information, and recreation coinciding with National Train Day on Saturday, May 10. Altogether the festival presents 24 movies and live activities in 16 locations.
“The festival program spans more than 125 years of history and includes beloved films of every kind for all ages, with live programs and activities related to Maine’s unique railroad heritage,” said Mike Perreault, executive director of Maine Film Center. Locally, the Harbor Theater is collaborating with Boothbay Railway Village Museum to present three free films and related activities for train lovers of all ages.
At noon on Friday, May 9 pre-K through first grade students are invited to a free screening of “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” (2000, G, 1 hour 29 minutes). Amtrak is providing train stickers and activity books for the kids attending the movie. Thomas the Tank Engine emerged as the most popular character from The Railway Series by British author Wilbert Awdry, first published 80 years ago.
Although Thomas has appeared in many television episodes, this is his only feature film, a whimsical and nostalgic mix of live-action and stop-motion animation. A lifelong railroad enthusiast, Awdry based most of The Railway Series stories on actual events: the engine characters reflected real classes of locomotives and some of the railways were based on real British lines.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 Harbor Theater presents the 1964 classic “The Train” directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. Based loosely on the non-fiction book by Rose Valland (Suzanne Flon) documenting the daring rescue of priceless French art looted by the Nazis, this gripping World War II action-thriller pits French Resistance fighters (led by Lancaster) attempting to stop a German officer (Paul Scofield) from transporting a trainload of stolen art to Berlin.
Wartime suspense and moral complexity combine in a battle of resourcefulness and sabotage along the railway. The film delivers intense action with a gritty, almost documentary authenticity. It was made with cooperation from the French Railways; there are no computer graphics in this movie – all action scenes were shot for real, and Lancaster performed his own stunts.
From left: Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, and Robert Preston star in “Union Pacific,” showing at the Harbor Theater Sunday, May 11. (Photo courtesy Harbor Theater)
Most of the box cars transporting the stolen art are just like the French “Merci Train” boxcar in Railway Village Museum’s collection – called a “40 by 8” because they could transport 40 soldiers or eight horses. Following the 2 p.m. movie, the Railway Village will host a reception on site with Maine’s Merci boxcar.
Activities at the Railway Village are also free, but reservations are requested. To make a reservation, go to railwayvillage.org/event/national-train-day-celebration.
At 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 11 a free screening of “Union Pacific” (1939) accompanied by trivia and raffle prizes will close the festival. The film is a sprawling Cecil B. DeMille Western epic about railroad troubleshooter Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) battling sabotage, greed, and corruption while pushing to complete the eastern leg of the first Transcontinental Railroad (four were eventually constructed).
Butler’s loyalty to the railroad and a growing love for a locomotive engineer’s daughter (Barbara Stanwyck) brings him into intense conflict with a rival in both business and romance (Robert Preston) who has teamed with criminals in trying to derail the project. “Union Pacific’s” grand scale and historical sweep make it a prime example of Hollywood’s Golden Age – and particularly the brand of cinematic spectacle for which DeMille was famous.
Though not presented until 2002, “Union Pacific” is officially the first recipient of Cannes International Film Festival’s major award, the Palm d’Or (Golden Palm). The first Cannes festival, scheduled for 1939, was cancelled due to the onset of World War II so no award was presented. In 2002, the Cannes jury considered the qualifying 1939 films (including “The Wizard of Oz”) and gave the top prize to “Union Pacific.”
Harbor Theater is a nonprofit cinema located at 185 Townsend Ave., at the junction of Routes 27 and 96, in Boothbay Harbor, across from Hannaford Supermarket. For more information about the theater, membership, and other upcoming films, go to boothbaycinema.org or facebook.com/boothbaycinema, or call 633-0438.
For more information about Full Speed Ahead, Maine’s statewide festival of train movies and events, May 6 – 11, go to mainetrainfest.com.
