- The Wrecker
"The Wrecker" is a British play, written in
1924 byArnold Ridley , who much later played Private Godfrey in "Dad's Army ".The play is about an old engine driver who thinks his engine is malevolent and self-aware (c.f.
Christine ). The finale is a huge train wreck using elaborate stage special-effects as perThe Ghost Train , an earlier and more famous play by Ridley.The play ran for 165 performances at St. Martin's Lane Theatre.
Film versions
It was made into a 74 minute silent film in
1928 (released1929 ). The film was produced byMichael Balcon forGainsborough Pictures , directed by HungarianGéza von Bolváry and starringCarlyle Blackwell ,Joseph Striker andBenita Hume . A sound track was later added. The crash scene was filmed at Herriard on theBasingstoke and Alton Light Railway .To date the film has never been released on either VHS or on DVD, suggesting that it might be a "lost film". Howeveer a notice in the current issue of "Flickers" states that it will be released on DVD in August 2008 by www.networkdvd.net . Far from being a "lost" film a version was issued by Pathe on 9.5mm and copies have been sold on aution sites recently.
External links
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