Caught On A Train (British Telefilm)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Telefilm: B
One young man (Michael Kitchen) travels through Europe and
gets more than he bargained for in Frau Messner (Dame Peggy Ashcroft) in Caught
On A Train, a 1980 British TV movie adaptation of Stephen Poliakoff play
about generation gaps, loneliness and the value of a life and lifetime. Peter (Kitchen) is strictly focused on his
business affairs, when beautiful American gal Lorraine (Wendy Raebeck) surfaces
and he hopes something can come of it, as long as he can stay on track with his
business meeting.
Frau Messner throws a monkey wrench into everything, being
a stuff busy-body, always being a burden on everyone else and using the “old
lady appeal” to get her way in this, and being an outrageous snob where
applicable. She drives Peter crazy and
he does what he can to manage her until things being to get out of hand. Unlike Lorraine, Frau Messner has some
wisdom and experience, with her crankiness turning out to cover up her despair
in seeing the world pass by and go into a decline of a sort. That Peter is so caught up in his business
that he is neglecting the very things his world has washed away from hers. Director Peter Duffell pulls this off with
the right teleplay by Poliakoff and excellent pacing, handling the great cast
with such panache that only the aspect ratio will remind you it is TV. Ashcroft is totally convincing in the most
complex (and showy) role in the piece, which asks some serious questions about
our lives, more strongly relevant a quarter-century later than they were when
the film was made.
The 1.33 X 1 full frame image is from an older-looking
film print and this was shot on film, especially since many PAL programs of the
time has raw tape interiors and film (or film-like) exteriors due to the limits
of the format. With that said, this is
not bad for its age having minor flaws here and there, but a future digital
High Definition transfer is bound to bring out even more detail of the cinematography
by John Else and the great Tony Pierce-Roberts, B.S.C., who together bring
atmosphere and density to every scene.
This has a fine look for a telefilm.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 is sort of boosted to sound a bit more vibrant
than its original monophonic form into a sort of stereo and Mike Westbrook’s
score fits very well. It’s a good
combination. Extras include a set of
text cast filmographies for the three leads, an anamorphically enhanced 16 X 9
featurette on the making of the film (18:07) and a terrific audio commentary by
Poliakoff and producer Kenith Trodd that is smart and informative. Caught On A Train is a triumphant
British telefilm that everyone should catch.
- Nicholas Sheffo
