Caught on a Train **** (1980, Peggy Ashcroft, Michael Kitchen, Wendy Raebeck) – Classic Movie Review 9679

Director Peter Duffell’s riveting 1980 Caught on a Train stars Peggy Ashcroft as Frau Messner, an imperious Austrian lady who terrifies young Briton Peter (Michael Kitchen) on an overnight train passing through Germany, in writer Stephen Poliakoff’s dazzlingly good one-off drama, full of posh talk.

Ashcroft deservedly won the best actress BAFTA award for her commanding performance and Kitchen is spot on too in a much less showy role. Wendy Raebeck plays Lorraine, the other woman also assigned to Peter’s train compartment, an independent American Peter finds attractive. Michael Sheard plays the know-it-all Preston.

Made for TV as the opening film of the seventh season of BBC2 Playhouse (1973–1983), this tremendous film is gripping throughout. The score is by the jazz composer Mike Westbrook.

It follows the route of a journey Poliakoff made himself from London to Vienna.

It was first shown on BBC2, on 31 October 1980 and re-shown in 2001 and 2006.

Caught on a Train is directed by Peter Duffell, runs 80 minutes, is made by BBC, is written by Stephen Poliakoff, is shot by Tony Pierce-Roberts and John Else, is produced by Kenith Trodd and is scored by Mike Westbrook.

It was released on VHS, then on DVD in 2004 by BBC Worldwide, with an audio commentary by Poliakoff and producer Kenith Trodd.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9679

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