Classic movie site with rare images, original ads, and behind-the-scenes photos, with informative and insightful commentary. We like to have fun with movies!
Archive and Links
grbrpix@aol.com
Search Index Here




Friday, September 20, 2013

Universal Catches Gaumont's Express


Rome Express (1932-33) Was a US Sleeper Train

A flat marvelous rail-set thriller, which once aboard, never stops till we reach dénouement. What a kick to find one previously unknown that turns out so good as this. I'm for putting Rome Express in a class with The Lady Vanishes and Night Train. Part of bounty is surely Sydney Gilliat, the writing whiz whose very early credit this was. Along as well to punch entertainment's ticket is Conrad Veidt, sinister as we prefer him, and silent-era lure Esther Ralston, a doll here and adept with words. Why didn't she cut it with talkies? Rome is Grand Hotel on rails, multiple stories converging to frenzy of a last act. Snappy beyond what you expect of Brits at dawn of sound, this one went out with high expectation.


Producing Gaumont-British had just erected a lavish new facility at Shepherd's Bush, including what was said to be Europe's largest soundstage. Rome Express would be their first filmed there, work begun in June 1932. US release was surely a target, as this was customized very much after Hollywood pace and fashion. Could Rome's locomotive outpace our own Shanghai Express? Critics said it had --- indeed,  consensus among many was that Rome Express beat even Grand Hotel at multi-character gambit. "At last there is an English picture that one can welcome with rousing huzzahs," said New York's World-Telegram. Rhapsodic press called it a landmark, that rare UK import you'd call truly entertaining. To The Hollywood Reporter's estimation, Rome Express gave "clear indication that the London producers have finally caught on."


Variety reported (12/32) Universal's US distribution buy from Gaumont for $20,000, "as a guarantee against percentage." The trade further gave Rome Express a rave, calling it "probably the best British film shown over here to date." Rome Express had been made for less than $100,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and would "demonstrate conclusively that our big costs and heavy overheads are foolish, that not only can good pictures be made for $200,000 and under, but MUST BE MADE (their caps) at that figure if our business is ever to be put on a profitable basis again." The Reporter saw Rome Express as product that could overcome ingrained prejudice of domestic audiences toward foreign-made films, "PROVIDED Universal gets behind it with the proper advertising and exploitation ..."


Universal used trade and critic momentum to score a booking at the RKO Roxy, adjunct to the Radio City complex recently opened. Here was a prestige date that got attention, but a first week's take of $30K was adjudged an overall loss thanks to overhead the 3,510 seat venue generated. Latter half of February 1932 stood out for three British-made features opening in Times Square, including Gloria Swanson's independent Perfect Understanding, and The Man Who Won, from British-International, in addition to Rome Express. No one could accuse Universal of narrow offerings; their weekly house organ pushed a second Gaumont acquisition, Be Mine Tonight, a musical from over there, and a more challenging sell than Rome Express. These were sold alongside The Big Cage, with Clyde Beatty, a first starring feature for Walter Winchell, and Lee Tracy in Private Jones (when was the last time these were seen anywhere?).


One aspect of Rome Express that gave me a happiest jolt was recognition of footage that Universal lifted for use in their two-years later The Black Cat, that being stuff of train departure and extras getting aboard. The corpulent chef taking receipt of meat delivery, cigarette hung out of his mouth (above), is a Black Cat image that's stuck with me going on fifty years. Now I know from whence he came, and even better, there's more of him in Rome Express, even to dialogue and reaction when bodies pile up. I always figured that character had an inner life we weren't seeing, and here it is. For all I know, Vitus Werdegast and the Alisons are seated somewhere aboard this Rome Express as well, making their way to fateful rendezvous with Hjalmar Poelzig. VCI has a fine DVD of Rome Express as part of their ongoing British Collection. I couldn't recommend it higher.

1 Comments:

Blogger Michael said...

Jeez, guess I have to buy this for a third time, having owned previous bootleg VHS and DVD. It is a corking good film and a better suspense film than any of Hitchcock's talkies to that point. The remake, Sleeping Car to Trieste, is also worth seeing, but it doesn't have a star to compare with Veidt in Albert Lieven.

12:10 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

grbrpix@aol.com
  • December 2005
  • January 2006
  • February 2006
  • March 2006
  • April 2006
  • May 2006
  • June 2006
  • July 2006
  • August 2006
  • September 2006
  • October 2006
  • November 2006
  • December 2006
  • January 2007
  • February 2007
  • March 2007
  • April 2007
  • May 2007
  • June 2007
  • July 2007
  • August 2007
  • September 2007
  • October 2007
  • November 2007
  • December 2007
  • January 2008
  • February 2008
  • March 2008
  • April 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2008
  • July 2008
  • August 2008
  • September 2008
  • October 2008
  • November 2008
  • December 2008
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009
  • May 2009
  • June 2009
  • July 2009
  • August 2009
  • September 2009
  • October 2009
  • November 2009
  • December 2009
  • January 2010
  • February 2010
  • March 2010
  • April 2010
  • May 2010
  • June 2010
  • July 2010
  • August 2010
  • September 2010
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • January 2011
  • February 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2011
  • May 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2011
  • August 2011
  • September 2011
  • October 2011
  • November 2011
  • December 2011
  • January 2012
  • February 2012
  • March 2012
  • April 2012
  • May 2012
  • June 2012
  • July 2012
  • August 2012
  • September 2012
  • October 2012
  • November 2012
  • December 2012
  • January 2013
  • February 2013
  • March 2013
  • April 2013
  • May 2013
  • June 2013
  • July 2013
  • August 2013
  • September 2013
  • October 2013
  • November 2013
  • December 2013
  • January 2014
  • February 2014
  • March 2014
  • April 2014
  • May 2014
  • June 2014
  • July 2014
  • August 2014
  • September 2014
  • October 2014
  • November 2014
  • December 2014
  • January 2015
  • February 2015
  • March 2015
  • April 2015
  • May 2015
  • June 2015
  • July 2015
  • August 2015
  • September 2015
  • October 2015
  • November 2015
  • December 2015
  • January 2016
  • February 2016
  • March 2016
  • April 2016
  • May 2016
  • June 2016
  • July 2016
  • August 2016
  • September 2016
  • October 2016
  • November 2016
  • December 2016
  • January 2017
  • February 2017
  • March 2017
  • April 2017
  • May 2017
  • June 2017
  • July 2017
  • August 2017
  • September 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2017
  • December 2017
  • January 2018
  • February 2018
  • March 2018
  • April 2018
  • May 2018
  • June 2018
  • July 2018
  • August 2018
  • September 2018
  • October 2018
  • November 2018
  • December 2018
  • January 2019
  • February 2019
  • March 2019
  • April 2019
  • May 2019
  • June 2019
  • July 2019
  • August 2019
  • September 2019
  • October 2019
  • November 2019
  • December 2019
  • January 2020
  • February 2020
  • March 2020
  • April 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2020
  • July 2020
  • August 2020
  • September 2020
  • October 2020
  • November 2020
  • December 2020
  • January 2021
  • February 2021
  • March 2021
  • April 2021
  • May 2021
  • June 2021
  • July 2021
  • August 2021
  • September 2021
  • October 2021
  • November 2021
  • December 2021
  • January 2022
  • February 2022
  • March 2022
  • April 2022
  • May 2022
  • June 2022
  • July 2022
  • August 2022
  • September 2022
  • October 2022
  • November 2022
  • December 2022
  • January 2023
  • February 2023
  • March 2023
  • April 2023
  • May 2023
  • June 2023
  • July 2023
  • August 2023
  • September 2023
  • October 2023
  • November 2023
  • December 2023
  • January 2024
  • February 2024
  • March 2024