Friday 9 September 2011

If this be a natural thing where do it come from, where do it go?

The Ghost Train/ Mystery Liner (1941/1934)


Chosen fairly randomly a few interesting connections link these two films.
Both offer (one way more than the other granted) a mystery of sorts that may have a supernatural cause (well Mystery Liner only really throws this up once whereas it is naturally The Ghost Train's main thrust), both don't make a huge amount of sense when the conundrum is solved (especially Ghost Train).
But Ghost Train is a generally agreeable, sometimes funny (one scene, a very simple pratting about outside a train compartments window is even funnier after revealing the secret of one of the idiots messing around) and reasonably engaging (it also helps that most of the characters find Askey's vaudeville act as annoying as I did).
Mystery Liner was pretty terrible. Dull plot mechanics about a remote control device for a ship, and irritating characters doing a whole lot of nothing.

It does however feature one of the most awkward kisses I've seen put to film (alongside the fat mob boss going for Jodie Foster at the end of Bugsy Malone)

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