Product Description

After commandeering a Confederate locomotive, heroic Yankee soldiers known as the Andrews Raiders try to bring about an early end to the Civil War by crippling the Southern railroad network. But their efforts are hampered by the unrelenting bravery of a single Rebel patriot.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9438 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-05-04
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 88 minutes

Amazon.com
Disney's Great Locomotive Chase relates a true Civil War story about the Andrews Raiders, a team of 22 Union spies. In 1862 they snatched a train out from under the normally watchful eyes of Confederate troops based near Atlanta in a daredevil attempt to wreck the track and bridges of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. It was a high-stakes operation with a huge payoff. If they succeeded, they would effectively win the war; if they were caught, they were sure to be hanged. This 1956 feature shores up the suspense of the scheme masterfully. We watch, transfixed, as the relentless Confederate train conductor, William Fuller (played by the all-business Jeffrey Hunter) roars through a bevy of Southern stations hot on the heels of his hijacked locomotive. Will James Andrews (Fess Parker), leader of the Raiders, outrun him? History buffs won't need to keep watching for long, but they'll want to anyway--the portrayal of the Raiders' gumption and against-all-odds heroics pushes the basest, most human of audience buttons. It's not that The Great Locomotive Chase is a simple but well-done film about good vs. evil. Instead, it explores both sides' motives and draws gentle conclusions about honor, and it does so at an invigoratingly high clip. In that way, it's a movie worth sharing with kids 8 and older--there's no blood and only a sprinkling of violence here, but as with all war stories, tragedy plays a prominent role. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

Fine Civil War Adventure
It's been many years since I had seen "The Great Locomotive Chase", and it was a real pleasure to watch it again. With so many other reviews, I don't think I need to summarize the plot.

Anchor Bay, as usual, has given us a DVD that is beautiful to look at, with only a few areas where the age of the film is apparent. This is widescreen and I can't imagine watching this film any other way. The sound is pretty much what you would expect for a 1956 release.

Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter are fine as the lead protagonists, with Jeff York also registering as one of Andrews' Raiders who would rather fight, than follow the "cloak and dagger" routine. Of course, York played Mike Fink--"King of the River"--opposite Fess Parker's Davy Crockett.

This movie is a dream for railroad buffs--old steam trains still provide a thrill for many people. It is also noteworthy for people interested in the civil war, being based on actual events, although I suspect history scholars might find it too superficial. However, the purpose of this movie is to entertain fans of all ages--not to get bogged down in too much detail.

Parents should find this movie a delight to watch with their children, especially young boys. The plot is not complicated--there is plenty of action--and while shots are fired, and some fists fly, there is none of the more graphic violence that today's films seem to wallow in.

Like other reviewers, I would have liked some "extras". Comments from Fess Parker--now a successful California wine-maker--added a lot to Disney's Davy Crockett collection. Mr. Parker's memories of this film would have been a nice plus. Sadly, Jeffrey Hunter passed away at a young age, during the 1960s.
Perhaps some day there will be a "deluxe" edition from Disney--but, in the mean time, we must thank Anchor Bay for giving us this highly watchable version.

Again, recommended viewing for the whole family.

Excellent Movie, Questionable Disney
The movie is outstanding. Fess Parker and the rest turn in excellent performances. This exciting story is based on the true to life incident that took place during the Civil War. From what I have heard there were only a couple minor changes in the recreation of the story. Walt Disney made wonderful movies during the Fifties and Sixties that were great for the whole family to enjoy together. I am ecstatic they are now releasing these movies to DVD. My only complaint is that there seems to be an issue with quantity instead of quality. They seem more interested in releasing a great number of movies than worrying about the condition of them. Now I'm am as anxious as the next person to get all their live action movies out but I hope they start taking the time to realize they need to monitor the quality control. I don't need the extras on this first release. Once they have released all the movies they use to run on "The Wonderful World of Disney" then they can go back and do Platinum Editions. I will be satisfied with just the movie since there are so many more they need to release like "Dr. Syn, alias Scarecrow" and "The Swamp Fox" that I can be satisfied with just the basics but I want the movie to have sharp picture and sound quality. Some of the recent live action movies have been great quality (e.g. Three Lives of Thomasina) and some have been poor (e.g. "The Journey of Natty Gann). I hope someone from Disney is paying attention to Amazons reviews because if they don't they may find their DVDs aren't selling so well. Fortunately this DVD picture and sound quality are nicely restored. There are no extra features.

Excellent Film, Disappointing DVD
Read the other reviews for a plot synopsis. Be aware that this film is presented in "Letterbox" widescreen, not anamorphic (although the menu pages & even the copyright warning page are anamorphic widescreen). The picture quality is mediocre, as is the sound. I thought that Disney (who released the original film to the theaters in 1956) would treat this film with some respect, but alas, as seems to be happening with all major studios' DVD releases now, they appear to be taking the cheapest way out. The film is a very good historical action piece that deserves better, especially from Disney. I just hope they treat the upcoming Davey Crockett release better.