Rome Express (Original title)The Midnight Special (Alternative title)
Date: 06 February 1933 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirected by: Walter Forde
Synopsis: Story of how a number of individuals travelling from Paris to Rome become by force of circumstances, involved in inquiry into theft and murder. Entire action takes place on train.
Genre: Thriller
Subjects: Theft, Homicide, Trains
Releases
Date: 1932Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: 35mm Film - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 94 mins Length: 8484 FeetDialogue (original): English
Title: Bringing ‘the whole world on to the British screen’: back projection and British film studios in the 1930s and 1940s Author: Street, SarahArticle type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Explores the aesthetic and practical aspects of the use of back projection as an alternative to location shooting in British cinema during the 1930s and 1940s. Considers examples from a range of genres, including 'Rome Express' (1932) and 'Young and Innocent' (1937).
In: Cinema Quarterly v1 n2 Winter 1932 Page: 113
Title: [Cinema Quarterly - v1 n2 Winter 1932: no known title]Language: English
In: The Picturegoer v2 n89 4 Feb 1933 Page: 19
Title: [The Picturegoer - v2 n89 4 Feb 1933: no known title]Language: English
In: The Cinema Booking Guide Supplement v2 n7 January 1933 Page: 8, 9
Title: [The Cinema Booking Guide Supplement - v2 n7 January 1933: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Brief credits and review.
In: The Picturegoer v2 n82 17 Dec 1932 Page: 8
Title: [The Picturegoer - v2 n82 17 Dec 1932: no known title]Language: English
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(18)
Accessible materials to view(7)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 8166 FeetStock date: 1972BFI identifier: C-143457
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1961BFI identifier: C-143460
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: Digital BetacamDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042265
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: VHS cassetteDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042588
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 8159 FeetBFI identifier: C-1510868
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:40 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985-2
Status: Viewing - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MP4BFI identifier: N-637770
Status: Viewing - Digital file is accessible to view within BFI
Digital materials(4)
Description: DPX - LTO5BFI identifier: N-368869
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: WAV - LTO5BFI identifier: N-369042
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: DPX - LTO5BFI identifier: N-368869-2
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: WAV - LTO5BFI identifier: N-369042-2
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MOV - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesProRes 422 (HQ) - BFI identifier: N-368926
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985
Status: Removed - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MOV - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesProRes 422 (HQ) - BFI identifier: N-368926-2
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:40 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985-2
Status: Viewing - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MP4BFI identifier: N-637770
Status: Viewing - Digital file is accessible to view within BFI
Video materials(2)
Description: Digital BetacamDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042265
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: VHS cassetteDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042588
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Film materials(12)
Description: Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143453
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Base: NitrateSound: MuteBFI identifier: C-143451
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Base: NitrateSound: SoundBFI identifier: C-143452
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 8166 FeetStock date: 1972BFI identifier: C-143457
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1961BFI identifier: C-143460
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 8159 FeetBFI identifier: C-1510868
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: SoundLength: 8145 FeetStock date: 1971BFI identifier: C-143456
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 8160 FeetStock date: 1970BFI identifier: C-143458
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1959BFI identifier: C-143459
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film - suitable for duplication
Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 8162 FeetStock date: 1932BFI identifier: C-143454
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143461
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status
Description: 35mm NegativeBase: SafetySound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143455
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status
Date: 06 February 1933 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirected by: Walter Forde
Synopsis: Story of how a number of individuals travelling from Paris to Rome become by force of circumstances, involved in inquiry into theft and murder. Entire action takes place on train.
Genre: Thriller
Subjects: Theft, Homicide, Trains
Releases
Date: 1932Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: 35mm Film - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 94 mins Length: 8484 FeetDialogue (original): English
Credits
(46)
Presents: Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, Distributed by: Gaumont Company, [Producer]: Michael Balcon, [Associate Producer]: Phil C. Samuel, [Unit Production Manager]: Victor A. Peers, Assistant Direction: W.J. Dodds, [Assistant Director]: Pat Morton, [Assistant Director]: Rod Baxter, Frank Cohen, [Continuity]: Nellie Peacock, [Continuity]: 'Clippie' Cutts, Joan Boswell, Scenario: Sidney Gilliat, Dialogue: Frank Vosper, Dialogue: Ralph Stock, [Dialogue]: Clifford Grey, Additional Dialogue: Sidney Gilliat, By [Original Story]: Clifford Grey, Photography: Gunther Krampf, [Camera Operator]: S.R. Bonnett, [2nd Camera]: Stephen Dade, [Camera Assistant]: George Stevens, [Camera Assistant]: Hector Stewart, Gordon Dines, [Floor Electrician]: Charlie Hillyer, [Back Projection Photography]: Bernard Knowles, [Trick Camera]: Percival Strong, [Special Effects]: Jack Whitehead, Editor: Fredrick Y. Smith, [Editor]: Ian Dalrymple, Art Director: A. Mazzei, [Assistant Art Director]: Albert Jullion, [Floor Props]: Bill Rolfe, Costumes: Gordon Conway, Sound Supervision: George Gunn, [Sound Recording]: T.S. Lyndon-Haynes, [Sound Crew]: William Salter, [Sound Crew]: Reg Margaritis, [Sound Crew]: Nick Jay, [Sound Crew]: Cyril Price, George Croll, Recorded by: British Acoustic Film, [Sound Editor]: Stan Jolly, [Technical Consultant]: M. Amblard, [Recorded] at: Shepherd's Bush Studios
Cast
(13)
Muriel Aked (spinster), Joan Barry (Mrs Maxted), Donald Calthrop (Poole), Finlay Currie (Marvelle's publicist), Cedric Hardwicke (Alastair McBain), Gordon Harker (Tom Bishop), Harold Huth (George Grant), Eliot Makeham (Mills), Esther Ralston (Asta Marvelle), Conrad Veidt (Zurta), Frank Vosper (Inspector Jolif), Hugh Williams (Tony), R.K. Neilson Baxter ([waiter])
Articles held in BFI Reuben Library
(5)
In: Journal of British cinema and television v19 n3 2022 Pages: 295-324Title: Bringing ‘the whole world on to the British screen’: back projection and British film studios in the 1930s and 1940s Author: Street, SarahArticle type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Explores the aesthetic and practical aspects of the use of back projection as an alternative to location shooting in British cinema during the 1930s and 1940s. Considers examples from a range of genres, including 'Rome Express' (1932) and 'Young and Innocent' (1937).
In: Cinema Quarterly v1 n2 Winter 1932 Page: 113
Title: [Cinema Quarterly - v1 n2 Winter 1932: no known title]Language: English
In: The Picturegoer v2 n89 4 Feb 1933 Page: 19
Title: [The Picturegoer - v2 n89 4 Feb 1933: no known title]Language: English
In: The Cinema Booking Guide Supplement v2 n7 January 1933 Page: 8, 9
Title: [The Cinema Booking Guide Supplement - v2 n7 January 1933: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Brief credits and review.
In: The Picturegoer v2 n82 17 Dec 1932 Page: 8
Title: [The Picturegoer - v2 n82 17 Dec 1932: no known title]Language: English
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(18)
Accessible materials to view(7)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 8166 FeetStock date: 1972BFI identifier: C-143457
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1961BFI identifier: C-143460
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: Digital BetacamDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042265
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: VHS cassetteDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042588
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 8159 FeetBFI identifier: C-1510868
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:40 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985-2
Status: Viewing - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MP4BFI identifier: N-637770
Status: Viewing - Digital file is accessible to view within BFI
Digital materials(4)
Description: DPX - LTO5BFI identifier: N-368869
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: WAV - LTO5BFI identifier: N-369042
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: DPX - LTO5BFI identifier: N-368869-2
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: WAV - LTO5BFI identifier: N-369042-2
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MOV - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesProRes 422 (HQ) - BFI identifier: N-368926
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985
Status: Removed - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MOV - LTO5Duration: 01:30:41 minutesProRes 422 (HQ) - BFI identifier: N-368926-2
Status: Removed - Restricted access to preserved digital file
Description: MP4 - LTO5Duration: 01:30:40 minutesMPEG-4 AVC - BFI identifier: N-368985-2
Status: Viewing - Digital file can be accessed on request
Description: MP4BFI identifier: N-637770
Status: Viewing - Digital file is accessible to view within BFI
Video materials(2)
Description: Digital BetacamDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042265
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Description: VHS cassetteDuration: 86.53 minutesLine standard: 625Colour standard: PALBFI identifier: C-1042588
Status: Viewing - Videotape can be requested for access
Film materials(12)
Description: Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143453
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Base: NitrateSound: MuteBFI identifier: C-143451
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Base: NitrateSound: SoundBFI identifier: C-143452
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 8166 FeetStock date: 1972BFI identifier: C-143457
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1961BFI identifier: C-143460
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 8159 FeetBFI identifier: C-1510868
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: SoundLength: 8145 FeetStock date: 1971BFI identifier: C-143456
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 8160 FeetStock date: 1970BFI identifier: C-143458
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: AcetateSound: CombinedLength: 380 FeetStock date: 1959BFI identifier: C-143459
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film - suitable for duplication
Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 8162 FeetStock date: 1932BFI identifier: C-143454
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143461
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status
Description: 35mm NegativeBase: SafetySound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-143455
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status