The cinematic allure of train travel has been a Hollywood obsession for decades, from murder mysteries to romantic comedies. We explore the romance of the rails.
“Don’t you find respectable people terribly... dull?” Marlene Dietrich says huskily in the 1932 film Shanghai Express. Shadows wax and wane across her face in a darkened sleeping car, revealing curls, jewels and a knowing, arched eyebrow. It’s true that her role as the temptress Shanghai Lily benefited from the looser morals of Pre-Code Hollywood, the time before censorship began in 1934. But the atmosphere is all the more enchanting thanks to the setting: a train.
Even when high-end train travel was more common, directors still found trains to be an exciting setting for their plots. Romances could be slowly teased out; stories could develop in hidden compartments; sparks could fly across carriage tables. But are these experiences banished to the past, leaving us only dreaming of being rocked to sleep in a gilded cabin? Are these movies with train travel the closest we can get to living out our own Dietrich fantasy?
Not at all. The opulence of Shanghai Express can be experienced today aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train. Drawing inspiration from the Far East, the train travels between Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Its historic carriages were designed by Nippon Sharyo in Japan then remodelled in Singapore. Decorations include Thai silks and Malaysian embroidery. Rumbling past famed landmarks and lush jungle, a journey transports you back to an era that still enchants on the big screen.
The popularity of movies set on trains helped make celebrities of its actors. Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave shot to fame after playing stylish travelers in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. The pair must team up when a woman goes missing on their journey from an unknown European country to London. Darting in and out of carriages to unearth hidden clues, the pair tease, scold and flirt with one another. The British humour—dry, quick and with a touch of nonchalance —makes this one of Hitchcock’s most charming comedies. The Lady Vanishes represents the excitement of train travel: what hijinks will unfold? Will there be crime-busting, or will you meet with a handsome stranger? Such is the film’s comedic allure that Orson Welles reportedly saw it eleven times.
Though we hope no murder plots unfold aboard our Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, it’s certainly a trip that will provide lifelong memories. As you are whisked away from your departure station and back in time, you’ll experience many of the cherished traditions of train travel. Connect with strangers; listen to the stories told by liveried stewards; marvel at stunning craftsmanship in every nook and cranny. Who will you encounter as you take your seat in historical Bar Car 3674? Will the meeting be as fateful as the one in North by Northwest, where Cary Grant meets a mysterious femme fatale aboard a sleeper train? Or will you simply marvel at the snow-capped Swiss mountains framing your route into Italy?
The train in Brief Encounter, the second best British film of all time according to an expert poll, is almost a character in itself. The classic love story sees a married woman, Laura, fall in love with a handsome stranger at a railway station. She has something in her eye, he helps remove it—a classic movie meet cute. Her train journey from the peaceful English countryside into town to meet her beloved is an inner journey, too. Striking shots of Laura gazing out of her carriage window reflect both her excitement and the wistful allure of the unknown. This characterizes train travel: its unhurried approach allowing you to reflect, to take things slow, to collect your thoughts.
Aboard the British Pullman, A Belmond Train, unhurried journeys allow you to travel through England countryside just like Laura. Departing from London, experiences range from steam-hauled trips to murder mystery lunches and quintessentially British afternoon teas. The restored 1920s carriages have themselves seen action on the silver screen, such as in Agatha starring Vanessa Redgrave and Paddington 2. The train’s history is palpable, from the legacy of the statesmen who graced the carriages to the art deco furnishings. Lush pastures roll past your window, inviting you to daydream in blissful comfort.
With travelers becoming increasingly eco-conscious and indeed nostalgic, train travel is enjoying a boom in popularity. Perhaps it’s a collective yearning to experience something brand new after a year of routine and familiarity. Who could you meet aboard a luxury train? Will your new companion be a stylish socialite like Gene Tierney, who enchants the protagonist aboard a train journey in Leave Her To Heaven? Or will laughs-a-plenty be the soundtrack to your trip, like Carole Lombard’s zany adventures in Twentieth Century? The treasures of train travel are waiting to enchant, entertain and inject much-needed vitality back into your wanderlust.
With its mix of bucolic villages and bustling cities, Sicily has often found itself in front of the camera’s gaze. As the Taormina Film Festival celebrates its 70th edition, we take a whistle-stop tour to discover the island’s celluloid offerings.
The 70th edition of the Taormina Film Festival struck the perfect balance between big-name screenings, thoughtful programming about issues in the Mediterranean and an homage to Sicily itself. Read on to discover the highlights of a week full of cinema in this historic town.
Inspired by Belmond’s one-of-a-kind hotels and destinations, ‘As Seen By’ is an collection of collectible photobooks with Parisian publisher RVB.
In our series Ask The Concierge, we ask our most knowledgeable staff to give their insider tips on cities around the world. Today, we’re in the city of Samba with Anderson Azevedo, Head Concierge at Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro.
Discover ‘Liguria: Recipes & Wanderings Along the Italian Riviera’, a new cookbook collaboration between Belmond and Apartamento that blends food and travel.
If our walls could talk, they’d have countless tales to tell. Since 1923, Copacabana Palace has hosted some of the most glamorous moments — and stars — in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting place for the world’s most glittering names, from Josephine Baker to the Rolling Stones, we’re still the place where legends come to play. Join us as we look back at our Hall of Fame, picking one icon to represent each decade since we opened our doors.
The 4,500-seat Ancient Theatre – once a stage for the works of Aeschylus and Aristophanes – is now the storied setting for the Taormina Film Festival. As the festival celebrates a new milestone, we look back at seven decades of cinematic history.