The Iron Horse (1924)

Writers:

Charles Kenyon (story) and
John Russell (story) ...

Release Date:

1925 (Germany)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Blazing the Trail of Love and Civilization

Plot:

Springfield, Illinois. Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west, but Marsh, a contractor...

Plot Keywords:

Railway | Train | Springfield Illinois | Epic | Native American

Cast

George O'Brien	...	Davy Brandon
Madge Bellamy	...	Miriam Marsh
Charles Edward Bull	...	Abraham Lincoln
Cyril Chadwick	...	Peter Jesson
Will Walling	...	Thomas Marsh
Francis Powers	...	Sgt. Slattery
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Cpl. Casey
Jim Welch	...	Pvt. Schultz (as James Welch)
George Waggner	...	Col. William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
Fred Kohler	...	Bauman
James A. Marcus	...	Judge Haller (as James Marcus)
Gladys Hulette	...	Ruby

Also Known As:

The Iron Trail (USA) (working title)
The Trans-continental Railroad (USA) (working title)
Das Feuerross (Austria) (Germany) [de]
El caballo de hierro (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Le cheval de fer (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Das eiserne Pferd (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
Il cavallo d'acciaio (Italy) [it]
Ildhesten (Denmark) [da]
O Cavalo de Ferro (Portugal) [pt]
Zelazny kon (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Beale's Cut, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The VHS version published in Argentina by "Epoca Video Ediciones" was lifted from an Italian video version that, in turn, was lifted from a Paul Killiam print with the titles (except the original credits) replaced with Italian translations. "Epoca Video Ediciones", subtitled that print in Spanish and made an important mistake that they have never corrected: the film was originally released in Argentina as "El caballo de hierro" but they put "El caballo de acero".

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Negro Soldier (1944)

Excellent (if old) western railroad movie

Since I live in Cheyenne, WY this type of movie really appeals to me. As all historians know, various towns along the route of this railroad (which coincides quite closely to interstate 80 in Wyoming) were made during its construction. Cheyenne and Rock Springs (because of its coal mining) were especially notable.

I had seen this movie several years ago and was delighted to see it being broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies channel. Perhaps they will re-broadcast it again in the future.

This movie, while not completely accurate historically, certainly gives an idea of the magnitude of the endeavor being undertaken. And it does feature a real locomotive which operated on the railroad during the period portrayed. Historical buffs definitely should not be swayed from enjoying this title simply because it may not strictly conform to history.

I won't go into the story except to say that the various sub-plots keep the viewer very entertained. This was a very well-done movie in my opinion. Acting was very good. And the cinematography was very impressive.

Fans of either westerns or silent-era films certainly should not miss this one.